


Brave New World, Book 2: Gathering of the Gods

by MoonFox



Series: Brave New World [2]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Merlin (TV), Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-13
Updated: 2014-01-13
Packaged: 2018-01-08 13:38:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 47,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1133286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonFox/pseuds/MoonFox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Gwaine adjusts to life back in the 21st Century he is thrown for a loop as prophecies begin to come true and the time of the Once and Future King is at hand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Brave New World Book 2, Gathering of the Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Gwaine adjusts to life back in the 21st Century he is thrown for a loop as prophecies begin to come true and the time of the Once and Future King is at hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the fandoms, only the rabid plot squirrels running loose in my head that created this story.
> 
> Mutli-fandoms: Merlin (Canon until 5x13, minor AU for 5x13, modern AU), Stargate (AU slightly at 9x1), Doctor Who Universe (mix of AU and Canon)
> 
> Beta read by IcarusLSU, and proofread by Nance.

 

_Brave New World, Part 2:_     **_Gathering of the Gods_ **

**_ _ **

* * *

**_  
_****Prologue:**

_"You wind among rocks of every conceivable and inconceivable shape and size... all bright red, all motionless and silent, with a strange look of having been just stopped and held back in the very climax of some supernatural catastrophe."_

_~Helen Hunt Jackson_

* * *

 

_Thump, thump, thump, thump._

The sound of the rubber-soled running shoes on the hardpack dirt reverberated up his legs. A falcon called out somewhere in the distance, searching from the skies for the prey that would become its breakfast. The pink rays of the sunrise bathed the red-colored stone formations, giving them an unnatural orange glow. Wild yucca plants with their tall flowering stalks and long, thick, green spines stood out in contrast against the gray, almost fuzzy appearance, of the rabbit brush that lined the rust-colored path. It was just after six a.m., but the nightly chill of the high-mountain desert was already burning off and giving way to what would easily be a one-hundred plus degree day...with barely a cloud in what would be an azure sky.

Turning on another path, with more rocks than dust, the sound of his footfalls began to crunch more than thump, with the gravel underfoot. He passed through a section where the scrub brush and succulents gave way to Douglas Firs, intermingled with white-barked, deciduous trees. A hint of a breeze caught the arrowhead shaped leaves and shook the branches. The sound they emitted reminded Gwaine of their name...'Quaking Aspen'.

A few of the trees had already begun changing from the pale green of summer, with their light, almost silvery undersides, to the bright golds and yellows of fall. He'd forgotten how much he enjoyed the colors and the rustling sound that only the Aspens would make. Although similar to the Trembling Poplar in the UK, it was never the same.

The sound of the poplars was older, hollow and haunting, amidst the wetter climate that surrounded Camelot. Here, in a much dryer region, it sounded as if they were welcoming him home.

For the past five months since Gwaine returned to the twenty-first century, his life had been a whirlwind of catch-up games. Today was the first morning he took the opportunity to get back to some semblance of normalcy.

The Base, the hospital, and subsequent trip to the UK filled the first few weeks as he adjusted to the changes...Merlin's wedding having been the climax of that period. Not long afterwards, he arrived back stateside, able to walk again; though the nightmares of his final days in Camelot still clung to his memories. It was hard not to fall into drinking as he had done when he found himself in the sixth century, but forced post-mission counselling actually helped...though he was reluctant to admit it.

A few weeks of physical therapy and he was soon on his way to merging the man he had been and the man he had become.

His friend Percival was adjusting quite well, from what he heard. The tall man had elected to stay in the UK for the time being. Although wanting to stick with Gwaine, he had panicked at the idea of flying. Merlin and his new wife Martha, were heading out for a honeymoon with plans to move to New York, where Martha was still stationed with UNIT.

A modern friend of Merlin's named Mickey Smith, offered to take Percival on as a flatmate. Mickey's job with Torchwood allowed him to access resources that could help the knight of Camelot acclimate. Merlin, Gwaine, and Percival had all agreed it might be for the best. It would also be a way for someone to stick close to Avalon and help, in case Lancelot's hinted prediction came about. The three men also agreed that, although not the same man, there were some aspects of Mickey that reminded them of their long lost friend Elyan.

Phone calls, video calls, and...amazingly...even texting from the man born in the Dark Ages, helped to keep them in touch with one another.

Gwaine took a trip up to Wyoming, about a month after returning stateside, to his family's ranch. A moving company was hired to deal with the majority of the family possessions. The rest was packed up in a large U-Haul, with a mural of Alaska on the side panels. He moved his grandfather, his sister, and her three boys down to Colorado.

They finally agreed to rent out the family home instead of selling it outright. Boyd's herd of cattle was sold off to a nearby neighbor, who also agreed to lease the land. The new place was southeast of Colorado Springs and only offered a scant forty acres of land, instead of the nearly one-thousand acres of the family homestead.

Boyd grumbled and 'bitched' about it, but Gwaine and Laney were in agreement that it would be plenty of room for a small herd that their grandfather could keep as a hobby, and not needing to worry about actually making a living from it. When the bank deposit came in from Gwaine's back pay from his time of being MIA, he was able to buy the lot of land outright and pay off a lot of his grandfather's growing medical bills.

Laney's boys were ecstatic about moving somewhere closer to a city, and meeting their estranged uncle...or they were until Old Uncle Gwaine caught thirteen-year-old Toby sneaking off with a cigarette from his mother's stash. Not only did the boy completely despise his uncle for a time, but it also caused a heated argument between brother and sister over the habit. At one point in history both siblings and their grandfather had smoked, but a pact made between brother and sister had the two of them quitting around the time Gwaine joined the Special Forces.

Boyd was forced to quit after his third heart attack, Laney had explained. However, it was around that time that her husband had run off. In an effort to deal with the stress and not kill someone at the time, she had fallen back into the habit.

It had now been two months since the move and the heated discussion. Laney was trying to quit again and Toby was finally talking to his uncle once more. As of yet, the boy had not been caught red-handed since.

Laney was beyond thankful to have her brother back. It not only lifted the weight of taking care of Boyd, but it also gave her boys a father figure to look up to. The family was settling into their new lives together. However, Gwaine made certain not to hide the fact from his sister and the kids, that as soon as he had the medical and psychogical clearance: he was going back to work.

An inclined slope in the path forced Gwaine to bring his thoughts back to his run. He could feel the sun on his bare skin, as the glowing orb climbed higher into the sky. It had been years since he was able to run like this; out on a path with few others, where he didn't need to wear armor or carry a sword. If he had exercised in Camelot the way he had done before being stranded, he would have found himself as bandit bait, mocked by the other knights, or worst of all...teased relentlessly for his indecent exposure.

The satiny polyester gym shorts were black with a thick red stripe down the outside seams, and ended just above his knees. A logo-marked T-shirt from the local Air Force Post Exchange, or PX for short, waited for him back in the parking lot at the base of the trail, in his vehicle. He relished in the feel of the elements on his bare skin as he ran. A brand new pair of Oakley sunglasses wrapped around his eyes and shielded them from the glare of the morning, as he cut in and out of the long shadows cast by the curious rock formations in the Garden of the Gods.

In 1859, a couple of surveyors happened upon the place. Originally intent on calling it "Beer Garden" by one of the men, his companion had promptly corrected his friend and hailed it as a place for the Gods to assemble. Somehow, during their debate on names, the geological formations of red spears of stone and seemingly unbalanced boulders nestled between enormous sandstone and limestone ridges, the Garden of the Gods was named.

The oral history of the native Ute tribes proclaimed their peoples' creation in the area. Before the Spanish arrived in the sixteenth century, the Old Ute Trail ran through it, where the tribes had left petroglyphs illustrating their passage. Out of all the places Gwaine had traveled, on Earth and off, this stone garden always felt more like home than anyplace else.

A buddy of his, first brought him to the place about a month after he was first stationed at the Creek Mountain Complex, more commonly known as Cheyenne Mountain to the locals, and NORAD or Stargate Command to those who worked out of the mountain. The trails hadn't changed much since he was last here, nor had the sense of serenity he felt as he jogged them.

The gravel gave way once again to a flat stretch of packed dirt, and then merged onto a paved path. He turned onto the concrete and finished his morning run back at the parking lot where he had started.

Gwaine wiped off the sweat with a towel, pulled his shirt over his head, and drank heavily from a bottle of water as he let his pulse slow back to a normal speed. Once he caught his breath, he climbed into the driver's seat of the nearly ancient Scout, that he was borrowing from Pops. The old man had bought the 'orange beast', as Gwaine's nephews took to calling it, brand new back in 1978. Gwaine fired it up, feeling the power of the old Harvester's engine and headed home, ready to face the busy day ahead of him.

Shower and breakfast were first on his agenda, and then he was off to the Base to finish getting all his paperwork signed off. By that evening, he hoped to be assigned back to one of the teams that went through the Stargate on a regular basis. If Cameron Mitchell had his way, Gwaine knew which team he would end up with.

* * *

 

 

  
  
photo is not mine. It was found randomly on the web, credit goes to the original photographer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One:**

* * *

 

He bit deeply into the flesh and felt the juices running down his chin. Fresh from the shower and into his working uniform of greenish brown MARPAT, or Marine Pattern Camouflage, Gwaine had snatched up the piece of fruit on his way through the kitchen.

The resounding crunch alerted his sister, who stood at the kitchen sink with her back towards him, of his presence. "So help me, Gwaine! I'm going to smack your hand with a wooden spoon if you steal one more of those goddamned apples. How the hell am I supposed to make pies for Greg's Scouts' Bake Sale, if you and the boys eat them all before I can?"

Gwaine smiled, his mouth filled with the pale yellow substance and he mumbled a half-hearted apology.

"Cam called while you were in the shower."

He swallowed his mouthful. "I'm heading to the Base in a few. Did he say I need to call him back right away?"

"No, he just wanted to make sure I didn't have anything planned so he could drag you out for some pool and beers after you finished everything today."

"I thought we were having steaks to celebrate?"

"They can keep until tomorrow. Go out and play with your buddy tonight."

He wrapped his arms around his sister. "Love ya, Laney."

"Love you, too, baby bro."

He kissed her cheek, sticky juices from the apple he was eating transferring to her face. Laney spun out of his arms and grabbed a wooden spoon from the utensil container on the countertop.

They were both laughing while she chased him out of the kitchen, threatening to beat him with it.

* * *

 

A visit to the Base infirmary and Doctor Lam, was the first stop on Gwaine's laundry list of "to do's". She passed him off to one of her HSs, Health Service Technicians, and he began a full morning of physical fitness evaluations, followed by a final visit to the civilian shrink who worked in the mountain. Then after a stop for lunch, he met with Chief Master Sergeant Walter Harriman to get the final sign offs. "Hey, Chief."

Walter looked up through his wire-rimmed glasses and blinked in surprise. "Sir, come on in. Sorry, you caught me a bit off guard, I'm not used to people calling me "Chief" around here. All the officers just call me Walter."

Gwaine chuckled, "Well, they all think they're nobles and can get away with it."

The Chief smiled and motioned to the seat across from him at the desk. "Of course, it's a bit weird to have an officer come to my office, too. Usually I'm running after them like a headless chicken, with my arms full...trying to keep everything in order...which isn't an easy task. However, General Landry is easier than General O'Neill was..." Walter seemed to have the sudden realization that he was addressing an officer and not an enlisted man. "Sorry, Sir."

Gwaine was doing everything he could to keep from bursting. Over a thousand years separated him from the lifestyle he had grown accustomed to. So many things had changed, yet there was always the same dynamics in people and the social structures that remained a constant. His sister reminding him of a more pleasant, yet just as protective over her domain, version of the head cook in Camelot...and of course there was Walter's own mini-rant about keeping those of higher rank in line. "You remind me of a friend from back in Dark Ages. He was the manservant to a king...and was the one to help make me a knight."

Walter smiled, accepting the intended compliment.

A picture caught Gwaine's eye. He pointed to it. "Are those your kids?"

"Yeah. Bobby and Darla. My wife has been in a state of panic the past two days. Bobby forgot to tell her that his troupe was having a bake sale."

"My sister's going through the same thing with her middle boy, Greg."

"Greg Phillips?" Walter asked, smiling at the discovery when Gwaine nodded. "He came to stay at our place a couple of weeks ago."

They discussed the boys for a little while, until Gwaine glanced at the clock on the wall. Cameron was dead set on taking him out for beers that evening to celebrate Gwaine's official return to Active Duty, which wasn't likely to happen unless all the paperwork was in order. "Well, Chief, I suppose it's time you finished the papers and made me a 'knight' of King Landry, eh?"

"Yes Sir...or should I say 'M'Lord'?" Walter joked.

"You are so coming out with us for a beer tonight!"

"Um..."

"I don't give a damn about the rules for Officer vs Enlisted. I'll take the heat for it, if it comes to it. You are joining us tonight."

"Actually, it's not the regs. It's my wife that might have the problem. She wants me to help decorate the cupcakes."

"Oh," Gwaine drawled, conceding the point. "...that's a bit different."

* * *

 

Rockabilly music poured from the jukebox in the corner. It was a large retro thing, which the owner of the bar still maintained with pride. No CDs. Nothing digital. Just good old fashioned vinyl and needle, complete with a few scratched records and skipping songs caused by drunks careening off of it over the years.

The Marine Captain found himself singing along to some of the tunes subconsciously. He ran his hands over the pool cue, before settling it in a comfortable grip. Sliding it backwards on the web of skin between his thumb and pointer finger, he leaned forward over the green felt table. The tip of the stick cracked against the white cue ball, sending it spinning towards the bright yellow nine ball. It bounced of the corner edge of the pocket and rolled back towards the center of the table.

Gwaine was still bent over, glaring at the balls on the table that refused to go into the pockets, when he felt a presence behind him. A feminine voice spoke softly in his ear. "I think you need practice."

Turning his head he met wide blue eyes, surround by short blond hair. He smirked and chuckled. Standing up, he set the cue to the side and wrapped his arms around the woman. "Samantha Carter!"

She returned his embrace, wholeheartedly. "It's good to see you again, Dallon."

"Oh, I see how it is!" Mitchell called out from the other end of the pool table, as he rolled his eyes. "I try to drag you back here for months, and can't get you to part with your precious R&D shit. The moment you finally get wind Dallon here, has been found...which by the way, was quite a while ago that he came back...you miraculously appear."

"Of course, Cameron. He's much better looking." She deadpanned, causing Gwaine to actually blush.

"Oooh! Ouch!"

"He also owes me a second date." Sam shrugged and offered an innocent-looking smile.

Gwaine was left completely speechless. He raked his hand over his scalp and looked around, suddenly noticing how full the bar had become. When he and Mitchell had first arrived, the place was nearly deserted. At some point while he was focused on the game table in front of him, the bar had filled up. His eyes scanned the crowd. He recognized nearly everyone present. Two were members of the SG Unit, whom he went through the gate with. Others were from various positions around the Base he had known, or had come to know, in his short while back, including General Landry. He was more surprised to see that even Walter had decided to stop in.

He didn't get the opportunity to respond to Sam's suggestion of a date, as he was suddenly greeted and congratulated with warm hugs and handshakes, as the rest of the crowd welcomed him back to their military family. He shook his head and grinned when he realized that his sister was among them.

Glancing around nervously, he questioned, "What are you doing here?"

"Walter called and invited me this afternoon. Don't worry, I signed the non-disclosure form, although what the hell I might overhear, I haven't a clue, but..." Laney shrugged, "It was enough to get me in the door."

Drinks were bought and toasts were raised in his honor, until he felt nearly overwhelmed by all the fanfare.

General Landry held up his hands for silence, preparing to make his own toast. Walter appeared at the General's side with a black leather folder, similar to what Letters of Commendation were presented in. "Normally, something like this is done on the Base with the intended recipient fully aware of what the hell is going on. But Captain Dallon here, I think we can all agree, is a rather special circumstance. So at my prerogative, we're doing things a bit differently."

Gwaine leaned back against the pool table, eyeing his CO warily. Although, he was quite happy to be in between two beautiful women while he listened. He had his arm was draped over his sister's shoulders, who also lounged against the table on one side. Sam Carter stood next to him on the other.

"With that in mind, seven or so years ago, all the paperwork went through. As Captain Dallon embarked on what was to be a simple mission of diplomacy, he had hopes of coming back to news we all look forward to hearing...well, almost all of us. Anyway, he sure as hell took his time."

"I'll say!" One of the Marines from Gwaine's former unit yelled out. "Nothing like being a day late and a Dallon short! HOO-AH!"

Laughter and a chorus of other "Hoo-ah's'" erupted, causing more comments about Gwaine's extended vacation in another time. Gwaine wished he had his long hair back to hide the flush on his face. At only five-foot-eleven, he was just slightly shorter than many of his fellow officers. Between always managing to get out of a bar tab and then, one time, of running late to head out with his team, someone had coined the phrase. It appeared that even centuries of time would not erase it.

Clearing his throat loudly, Landry regained the groups attention. "Damn Marines," he muttered. "Now, somehow, even after all this time, Watler here was able to find the letter Captain Dallon had been waiting for." He motioned to the Chief Master Sergeant to begin the apparently impromptu ceremony.

Walter's voice rang out through the bar room. "ATTENTION TO ORDERS!"

Everyone gathered and stood. Drinks were set on the bar and tables; pool cues and darts were set aside, as they gave their full attention to the reading.

"The President of the United States, acting upon the recommendation of the Secretary of the Marine Corps, has placed special trust and confidence in the patriotism, integrity, and ability of Captain Gwaine Dallon. In view of these special qualities and his demonstrated potential to serve in the higher grade, Captain Dallon is promoted to the permanent grade of Major, United States Marine Corps, effective immediately. By order of the Secretary of the Marine Corps."

General Landry took the certificate and the gray felt box holding the insignia pins...two golden oak leaves...from Walter. Gwaine stood at full attention as Landry stopped in front of him.

He held up his right hand and spoke the words of his oath. "I, Gwaine Dallon, having been appointed a Major in the United States Marine Corps, do solemnly swear, that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely; without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, so help me God."

Landry gave him a handshake and handed the box and letter over to the new Major.

Gwaine saluted, and the General returned it. "Could you hold this a second, Sir?" He asked holding the items out to Landry. The General raised his eyebrows in curiosity as he took them. Gwaine pulled out his wallet and thumbed through it, then he began digging through his pockets.

"Something wrong, son?"

He bit his bottom lip as he appeared to be counting the people in the room. "Um...If I had know this was going to be a wetting-down, I would have brought more money."

The General laughed, he had, in fact, been expecting this. Typically for the Marines, and also for other branches of service such as the Navy, when an officer was promoted, the after-party was referred to as a 'wetting-down' ceremony. Most often, the entire bar tab then become the responsibility of the one being promoted. "Don't worry, son. After all you've been through, this one is on the Air Force."

Gwaine smiled his thanks and took his new insignia and letter back. Applause and cheers filled the bar room, as he turned away from his CO, and began receiving more congratulations. He smirked at Cameron...who laughed uproariously at the message the look conveyed. Whether it was the sixth century, or the twenty-first, Gwaine Dallon was once again the king of not paying his own bar tab.

* * *

 

He knew it was late...or early. Either way, Gwaine was certain he was going to wake up the intended recipient of the phone call he was about to make. He slumped into the wicker chair on the back deck of his house, and gazed at the stars above. The boys and Pops were sound asleep by the time he and Laney had returned. She was getting ready for bed, but Gwaine's mind was reeling. Knowing he wouldn't be able to rest until he talked to someone about his misgivings.

The phone rang twice on the other end before it was answered with a very sleep-slurred English accent.

"Hey Merlin."

"Gwaine? Gods, it's what, three in the morning there?"

"Yeah, and five where you are. Sorry to wake you."

"S'ok, what's wrong?" Merlin's voice asked, a bit more awake.

"Not really wrong. I was reinstated to Active Duty today...erm, yesterday." Gwaine said. He stiffled a groan, as he stretched his legs out onto the matching wicker coffee table.

"That's great to hear!" The voice responded around what sounded like a yawn.

"And I received an overdue promotion." Gwaine said, trying to sound upbeat.

"I would congratulate you, but I can tell from your voice, there's more to it."

"It was harder than I thought...saying the words of my oath. I kept thinking back to that run-down castle, and that round stone table, you know?"

Merlin didn't say a word, he simply listened to his friend.

"It took me so long to get over the idea that I might come back home. It was another reason I never wanted to become a knight in the first place, you know? I had already taken an oath to the service of a different kind.

"That night, I was finally ready...because of you, my friend, to accept that I could serve under a different banner. Part of me feels like: today, I broke the vow I made to Arthur..." His eyes stung with unshed tears. "Is that stupid of me?...To feel like I'm betraying a man who I served in a different century?"

"No..." Merlin said softly. "I still feel that way every time I've taken a similar oath. After so long, I sometimes wonder why I should feel that way. Maybe it's part of destiny's plan...who knows."

"...And what are we supposed to do about these oaths if he does come back? I love the Corps...always have. But..."

"I know. We'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it."

* * *

 

"Doctor Lam?" A technician appeared at the door of Lam's office. "The latest report is in concerning those two stasis pods that were found in the UK."

Carolynne Lam held out her hand for the printed paperwork. Her eyes scanned over the words. A few months back SG-1, had gone to explore the possibility of an Ancient...'No, Alterian,' she corrected herself...treasure room located under Glastonbury Tor. A former Goa'uld and black market trader named Vala, had brought the information about its possible location to Daniel Jackson.

Vala tricked Daniel and linked him to her with some Goa'uld 'marriage' bracelets, making the pair unable to be more than a few yards away from each other without falling unconscious.

Under the mound where the Tor was located were ancient riddles and traps which the team, led by Cameron Mitchell, nearly failed to solve. As per usual for SG-1, they narrowly managed to avert disaster, when the place began to collapse, after Colonel Mitchell was forced to duel a holographic knight.

Once revealed however, much of the treasure was typical of what one might find in an Indiana Jones film...but there were a few items that clearly did not belong. The first of which was a book that Jackson had honed in on immediately. Another item appeared to be a device that utilized the Alterian Communication Stones found on a previous mission. These stones would allow a person to swap bodies with someone who had a linked stone in another place. The device found allowed the person's consciousness to travel even farther outside of the suspected range.

Unfortunately for Daniel and Vala, the stones took their consciousness to a distant galaxy and nearly got them burned alive; while the SGC worked to disconnect them from the device. It also opened the door to a new, unexpected enemy for the entire Milky Way Galaxy, called the Ori.

A technical team from Area 51 took charge of the rest of the cleanup and cataloguing of items under the Tor, while the SGC dealt with more pressing issues. It wasn't until almost a month later, that they uncovered a hidden room containing two stasis pods.

In one, was a blond man in chainmail and a red cloak similar to what Major Dallon and his friend had when they were rescued. The techs at Area 51 had not been privy to the reports on Dallon's return, so they had no idea of a possible link to recent SGC activity. The other held a dark-skinned woman and a child, who they surmised to be around a year in age. The energy sources for the pods were nearly depleted, and no one wanted to open them until they had a better idea what they would be dealing with.

A few years prior, a woman had been found in the ice of Antarctica. She was the last remaining Ancient they knew of at the time. Sadly, she had died not long after from a disease the humans had no knowledge of. The techs first priority was to stabilize the energy to the pods. After that was done, many other crises arose that required more immediate attention...such as deployment of the Mark IX "Gatebuster", a Naquadria-enhanced nuclear warhead, along with the ship Prometheus...in an attempt to shut down the building of a Supergate from the Ori's galaxy to the Milky Way.

When the reports of the stasis pods had finally crossed Lam's desk, the SGC's doctor nearly fainted. There was no description of people actually being in the pods.

The only thing in the mumbo-jumbo of the badly written report that even led her to realize there was something worth looking into, was the mention of a "subject" visually showing symptoms of the Bubonic Plague.

Her former work, as an Air Force Liaison to the Center for Disease Control, had Lam jumping into action and ridiculing everyone in the chain of command at Area 51 for their callousness. It took a lot of work to get through all the red tape, but she had the pods moved to the SGC. For the past two weeks her own staff had been working around the clock, in an attempt determine what sort of precautions were needed to open the stasis pods.

Lam was also waiting for Major Dallon to be cleared for Active Duty, before bringing him in on the effort. She had consulted with the psychiatrist on base, and the woman had recommended waiting until Dallon was secure in his return. The woman felt that if he was able to recognize the costume of the blond man, it could either help, or hurt his own mental progress. Lam didn't like keeping him out of the loop, and told her father...who happened to be General Hank Landry...on several occasions. Unfortunately, when it came to things like a psychiatric evaluation, even his hands were somewhat tied.

Carolynne's mind worked over what she read in the reports. All three occupants were confirmed as being definitely human, not Alterian. She breathed a sigh of relief. Humans she could treat...alien lifeforms were a completely different matter sometimes. The woman and child appeared to have been in rather good health prior to contracting the Plague. After doing research, she realized that the first cases of the Plague in the UK were around the late sixth century. That information coincided with what she already suspected, that these people were linked the Major.

As long as a proper quarantine was in place, and antibiotics were at the ready, the woman and child would soon be freed from their state of suspended animation. The problem would come in trying to explain to them what was going on...if they survived the transition and the heavy medication, which sadly, didn't always work.

There was also no way to tell for certain, how far along they were in the progression of the disease until they were released from stasis.

All of that didn't worry the doctor as much as the blond man did. His chainmail armor obstructed most of the scanning equipment available to them, including some modified from alien technology.

Dried blood and a break in the mail, was visible near the man's abdomen, but other than that, Lam could find nothing wrong with him. She worried about the position of his suspected injury and what internal damage there may be associated with it.

Sighing heavily, she set the reports aside. Major Dallon would be returning to his first full day of work tomorrow. The three people in the pods had waited this long, one more night wouldn't make a difference.

* * *

__


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two:**

* * *

 

Laney held out a cup of coffee for her brother, as he came into the kitchen. Fresh from a shower after his morning run, he accepted it with a tired smile. "Back to the grind tomorrow?" She asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, General Landry gave me the day off to recoup from the party, before I get back to the grind." He slid down onto a chair at the harvest table in the kitchen. The dark stained planks of wood told a story with every fork mark, ding, and cup ring. It had been in Boyd's family for a few generations and still was as strong a table as one could imagine.

"You didn't drink as much as I thought you would." Laney commented. She smoothed her hair back and wrapped it with an elastic band. Pouring a cup for herself, she sat down across from Gwaine. The house was quiet. The boys were off to school for the day and old Boyd was out tinkering with something in the barn.

Gwaine shrugged away his sister's observation. In high school, he drank rather heavily...at least until he wrecked his bike. That had been a wake up call for him at that time. He never gave up drinking, but the alcohol flowed a lot slower, and he tried to be a lot more responsible when he did. When he was flung into the past to a place where there were no police or laws against drinking and riding a horse, he'd allowed himself to fall back into the bottle...or tankard as it were. That was, until he met Merlin.

"I heard you out on the porch last night." She met her brother's eyes. "I assume that was your friend, Colonel Emrys, you were talking to?"

He grunted in reply.

"Come on, Gwaine...please."

"Laney, I'm fine." He smiled at his sister, trying to show her she had nothing to worry about. He had given that same response to her too many times in the past few months.

"No, you're not. Something got you rattled last night." After a few minutes, she realized that he wasn't going to respond. "She was pretty."

"Who?"

"Lt. Colonel Carter. Is she the one you were gushing over before everything happened?" Laney's brown eyes lit up with mischief.

"Gushing? No...well, maybe," he laughed and took another sip from his coffee cup. "We've known each other since I was first stationed here. It was around the same time she arrived too. We had a few shared lunches on Post. Then I finally get her to agree to a real date, and look what happened."

"I was talking with her some. She said she's still single. You should ask her out again. Maybe it would help you get over that bitch whose ass I can't kick for you."

He almost lost his grip on his coffee cup. Eyeing his sister suspiciously, he asked, "What do you know about her?"

"I overheard Colonel Emrys and Dr. Jones talking when you were still in the hospital. So, not much...other than she betrayed you guys somehow, and broke my baby brother's heart."

Gwaine pushed himself up and moved towards the coffee pot. He refilled his cup and stood, staring out the window towards the barn. The house was an old Sears Bungalow built sometime around 1920 from a catalogue kit that cost just under five grand. It had been modified and updated over the years, so now only the front of the house resembled the original "Bandon" design. The barn was just as old, and the doors needed repair before winter. He tried to settle his mind on what all he needed to do, but it kept circling back to her.

"Eira," he said finally.

"Sorry?"

"Her name was Eira. Gorgeous blond curls, big blue eyes..."

"So, just your type."

"I don't have a type," he protested.

"Bullshit. You may flirt like hell with any woman you come across, but it's those blonds you always end up dating."

He laughed but couldn't argue with her logic when he thought about it. "They really had you sign the forms?" He asked, referring to the non-disclosure forms the military had all their civilian contractors sign. It was a standard legal paper trail, stating that anything of a classified nature was not to be discussed with anyone who wasn't cleared. If caught, it would mean possible jail time, or worse.

"Yeah, it took all afternoon yesterday. I guess your shrink, which I'm glad to hear you're seeing, agreed it would be a good thing."

"I thought that stuff was supposed to be confidential?" He rolled his eyes in an exaggerated motion. "Alright, fine. You're going to think I'm bloody nuts," he warned his sister.

She smiled, "Well, that's nothing new. So...spill!"

Gwaine stared at the floor before he finally asked, "Do you believe in aliens?"

"Like the illegal ones, or the little green men from Mars?"

He sputtered into his coffee. "They're actually gray, and they're not from Mars."

Laney's face was blank while she tried to determine if her younger sibling was serious, or just pulling her leg.

"Told ya, you were going to think I'd gone bonkers."

She held up her hands in mock surrender. "Okay, fine. So aliens exist. I can...believe that. No, seriously, I can Gwaine! What, were you on some alien planet a while back, when all the stars disappeared, and then the weather went wonky? There's been a whole lot of other inexplicable shit since then, too. Plus...rumors of a space ship blasting a hole in Antarctica..."

Gwaine snorted, "Cameron tried to get himself killed in that one."

"Why does that not surprise me? So, are you going to come sit back down and talk to me?"

"Alright." He moved back to the table and began to tell her the basics of the Stargate Program. The Stargate itself created stable wormholes that allowed people and objects to be transported to different planets. Gwaine attempted to explain how a solar flare had caused the wormhole he was traveling through, to become unpredictable, and spat him out somewhere in the past.

"WHOA! I thought you said you dealt with aliens...now, you're telling me you actually time travelled and were stuck in the Dark Ages? To quote Toby: W.T.F.?!"

"You really want me to get into the technical jargon of it all?"

"Hell no."

"Then just shut up and listen." Gwaine squirmed when he was pinned with his sister's 'glare of death'.

They spent the day drinking far too much coffee, while Gwaine told his sister some of his better memories over the past years. She noticed he steered away from anything too emotional. She shut her mouth with an audible snap when she realized her joke about the 'Round Table' months before, really wasn't that far off the mark. Finally, after looking at the clock, Laney realized the bus would be dropping off her boys soon.

"So, you want to tell me about this Eira chick, before the kids get home?" She asked, bringing the conversation around again.

"I'd finally given up the idea of ever coming back home when I met her. Actually, I was happy to do it. She was the perfect damsel in distress...but could still hold her own against a Saxon. I fell hard for her. In less than two weeks I was beginning to plan for a real future there, even with the war going on." His voice dropped. "Then the Battle of Camlann happened. Arthur fell. He was taken away by a friend who hoped to save him, and the rest of us returned to Camelot. We realized someone was passing information, and the queen suspected it was Eira.

"I fed her some false information and later that night, I caught her sending a bird to Morgana..."

He took a deep breath, determined to tell Laney what happened next. It was a part of the story Gwaine had yet to disclose to the psychiatrist. "The next morning...she was hung."

Laney gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Gwaine...I...oh, god..." Reining in her own emotions, she stuck her chin out and proclaimed, "Bitch got off too easy."

"What?"

"Oh, you don't even want to imagine what I would have done to her. A hanging was the easy way out."

Gwaine surprised himself by chuckling, "Yeah, I suppose she did." It was the first time he felt something other than the heartache and regret, when thinking about those final days. Even though Eira was able to knock out a Saxon with a makeshift wooden club, the blond lass would have been no match for his spitfire of a sister.

"Ah, hell."

Gwaine's eyes narrowed, wondering what was going through his sister's mind.

"If I would have known, I might not have invited Sam over for dinner tonight."

"Bloody hell, Laney! You did what?"

"Well, it's not as if I knew what happened! I thought some gal had just broken your heart. I didn't know she died!"

The conversation ended as three boys came barging into the house.

"Uncle Gwaine! You got company!" Greg hollered as he threw down his backpack on the living room floor, and joined his brothers in a race to the kitchen.

"HEY! Pick that up! Sheesh! If you want to act like you live in a barn, I have no qualms about moving your bed out there!" Gwaine yelled, addressing all three of them and the trail left behind. He moved through the kitchen doorway, expecting to see Samantha Carter at the door, although it was still a bit early for dinner.

Instead, the dark-haired man standing with a tote in his hand, was a welcome surprise. Merlin was chuckling at the rarely seen paternal side of his friend.

"Damn it, Laney, UPS mixed it up again. It's not that mail-order bride you ordered for me..."

Merlin opened his mouth to say something, but ended up laughing as a potholder smacked Gwaine in the head.

* * *

 

As it turned out, Sam called a few minutes later expressing her regret that she would be unable to join them for dinner. An emergency had arisen at the Base. Gwaine asked if he needed to go in. Carter told him that it probably wouldn't be necessary, but to keep his phone on, just in case.

Laney shooed the boys out of the house to go check on their great-grandfather and do their chores. Gwaine grabbed a couple of soda cans from the 'fridge and tossed one to Merlin. "Wow, your catching skills have improved," he commented, as he led Merlin through the house to the back porch. "So...what are you doing here?"

Merlin shrugged and took a seat. "After the wake-up call this morning, it sounded like you needed a friend. Martha left for Germany yesterday, and I saw no point in staying in New York by myself. I'm actually starting to regret taking semi-retirement from UNIT. I'd been at the same desk for nearly three decades...but now I'm getting a bit bored just loafing around the house. Hope you don't mind."

"Never. I have a hard time picturing you being a couch potato. How's married life treating you?"

Merlin gave him a goofy grin that didn't need explanation. "How are you holding up?"

"Eh, doing alright. You plan on sticking around long?" Gwaine asked.

"Until you get sick of me, or Martha comes looking. Have you talked to Percival lately?"

"Yeah, he seems to be fitting in quite well with that Torchwood group...once he straightened things out with Captain Harkness."

"I saw the video of the wedding reception, finally."

"What do you mean, finally? You were there when it happened."

Merlin nodded, "I was, but I...something else happened right about that same time...lke a wave of power rolling through the land. I can't really describe it, but things are going to be changing soon."

"Oh?" Gwaine sat forward. His face betraying the concern over his friend's words.

"It's not like it's anything we can prepare for, but just a..."

"'Funny feeling'?...As Arthur would have called it."

"Yeah. Something like that. Right before he'd call me a girl."

"Well, I'm sure Martha can set him straight on that issue, if he does return."

"I was thinking about what you asked me. If what is coming is as big as I fear, then I don't think we're going to have to worry about one vow, or oath, over another. We're probably in positions which can help unite them all."

Gwaine's lips pursed. He had a sudden flash of insight with the current enemy that had begun to make itself known in the galaxy. "Have you heard of the Ori?"

Merlin shook his head. "I haven't."

"The scuttlebutt around the Base is they are making anything the SGC has faced before look like pansies. I'm surprised UNIT and Torchwood aren't involved with the IOA on it."

The blue-eyed man shrugged, "For the most part, Torchwood Institute handles the day-to-day comings and goings in the UK. Torchwood Three, where Percival is, spends most of its time dealing with the interdimensional Rift in the time-space continuum around Cardiff. UNIT is a bit more widespread around the globe. We typically leave anything out further in the galaxy to the SGC. The IOA is supposed to keep us informed...and they may well have, but remember, I told you I work for more of a paranormal division...Or I did, until I left just before the wedding. If Martha heard anything, she hasn't told me about it."

"Hey Gwaine, want to call Boyd and the boys in for dinner?" Laney yelled from the kitchen.

* * *

 

After dinner the kids were finally in their rooms with their homework. Pops was flipping channels in the living room and Elaine had her sewing machine set up in the dining room, working on Gwaine's uniforms.

Laney had bought the new insignia after signing the massive amounts of paperwork with Walter on the day of Gwaine's promotion, so he'd be ready when he walked into work the following day.

Merlin had originally planned to stay in a hotel, but that was unheard of in Gwaine's family. Even if they were not expected, guests weren't allowed to stay in a hotel when a room was available. Of course Toby didn't realize until after dinner, that it was his room that was being offered and like a typical teenager, had thrown a massive fit at the thought of bunking with his brother.

The ancient warlock had tried to argue the case that he would be perfectly okay in a hotel, and had watched the teenager with uneasy eyes.

"What's wrong Merlin? You act like you've never seen a teenager have a tizzy-fit before." Gwaine commented, as he made his way through the old barn, with Merlin following him around. The former knight was determined to try and get the doors back in their tracks before he ran out of time. In Colorado, where there was sunshine more than three-hundred days a year, an outsider would think that there would be plenty of time left to fix things up. The catch was that in the fall and winter months, there could be a full-blown blizzard roaring through, and you'd still be able to see the sun.

"Gwaine, I haven't really been around kids since my own. I mean, I do some volunteer storytelling and such from time to time...but that about covers it. Are you sure you don't want me to help you with these doors?"

Gwaine laughed as he pulled out a ladder. "Naw, I've got it. So you did have kids at one point though?"

"Didn't I tell you about them?" Merlin pursed his lips, trying to recall all the conversations over the phone. Gwaine shook his head and set up the ladder next to the large sliding doors. "Yeah, uh...Mithian and I had two kids."

"Whoa! Mithian...as in the Princess of Nemeth, Mithian?" His eyes were nearly popping out of his head as he considered the idea. In the logical part of his mind, he knew a lot of time had passed, but his senses were still conflicted. It seemed like only a year or so ago, when they had gone on a mission to rescue King Rodor, Mithian's father, from Odin and Morgana.

"Yes." The years in Nemeth had been such a wonderful time in his life. Even with the loss of Camelot, his wife and their children had given him so much hope.

Gwaine sputtered, "You married Mithian? Two kids...wow."

"That was before we realized I wasn't aging. After that..." Merlin's face was strained as he thought over the reasoning for the decision he had made so long ago. "I can't even rightfully recall why I chose to never have any more children with anyone else. I think it was because it was too hard watching them grow up...and grow old...or something."

"Did they have any offspring?" Gwaine asked, trying to draw more out of his friend, while he struggled with the door.

"Are you certain you wouldn't..."

"No." Gwaine cut him off. He was stubbornly determined to fix the barn on his own.

Merlin chuckled and continued, "Yes, they did. I actually followed one of the lines of some of the kids and grandkids and such for generations. It was only a few decades ago that I finally lost track. I'm sure there are more of my descendants out there, but they all seem so distant to me now. Just strangers passing on the streets.

"Sometimes I'd actually try and become a part of their lives, either as some crazy distant uncle, or just a friendly neighbor. The last one I did that with was a girl named Nancy...maybe half a century ago. She was a sweet child who loved hearing an old man's stories. The ones about you mostly..." Merlin paused, recalling what Gwaine had said about being named after himself. He noticed his friend staring at him blankly. "What was your mother's name?"

Gwaine clucked his tongue and stared down at Merlin from the ladder. "Nancy...and she was one-hundred percent Brit. Webster was her maiden name, if that's what you're going to ask next."

The look on Merlin's face said it all. Gwaine began laughing so hard, he lost his balance on the ladder and began to fall. Merlin easily reached out with his magic and caught his friend...and descendant, lowering him safely to the ground.

The sound of a tongue clicking against teeth had them spinning towards the side door of the barn.

Laney stared at the two of them for a moment. She held up her hands when her brother opened his mouth. "I'm going to go pour myself a rather large whiskey. I am then going to have a cigarette. AH! Don't you dare interrupt me right now!' She pointed an accusing finger at her brother before he could utter a single syllable. "That will give you boys a chance to get your stories straight, before you come and tell me what the hell I just saw." She spun on her heel and walked back towards the house.

* * *

 

Fingernails drummed out an unsteady rhythm on the half-filled glass of amber alcohol. The fingers of the other hand held a smoldering white cigarette, the smoke from the end of it curling up and dissipating into the night sky.

Elaine had gone into the barn with a purpose...but what that was, she couldn't recall. Knowing that her brother was working on fixing the tracks which allowed the main doors of the barn to slide open and close, she'd gone through the smaller side door. She could hear her brother and his friend talking, although only the last clip of their conversation reached her ears. Gwaine was talking about their mother.

As she came around the corner, listening to her brother cackling, Laney had full view of the ladder as it wobbled under him. Her heart stopped and she didn't even have time to yell a warning, before Gwaine was falling from the top of the twelve-foot A-Frame.

Then time stopped...or slowed...or something...

Aliens? Well, everyone in the modern world had some sort of theory about them, so it wasn't too much of a shock to hear that her brother worked with some.

Time travel? She'd watched enough science fiction movies over the years to have a clue; plus what Gwaine had told her earlier in the day finally made sense, in explaining some of his speech and mannerisms since his return.

No...what she saw in the barn was different. Laney knew that; somewhere deep in her soul. The instant fear of her brother...recently returned to her life and suddenly being taken from it again, by an act as simple as falling from a ladder...was etched on her heart.

In that moment, her mind barely registered the glow in Colonel Emrys' eyes. Now, it played that memory in HD, over and over again.

Hearing and seeing were two completely different animals. She inhaled deeply from the butt end of her cigarette, blowing the smoke out through her nostrils. Lifting the glass, she registered the clinking of ice against the walls of the container, as she put it to her lips.

Half-lidded brown eyes watched, as the two men came sheepishly out of the barn towards the porch. Laney had pushed past the spike of initial fear and was now bordering on anger...an outlet for the rush of adrenaline as her body responded to the near-crisis she had witnessed.

"Sit," she ordered them. Her voice was low and soft, not unlike the tone she used when her sons were in serious trouble. "What the hell did I see in there?"

Merlin rubbed the back of his neck, a guilty smirk on his face.

Gwaine's lips were twitching, as he tried to decide the best way to explain. "Well, you know those stories Mom used to tell us, about King Arthur and Merlin and all that..."

"Yes. Also, I remember what you told me earlier today about it." Her tone held no room for joking.

"Um...yeah. I think I might have left out the part where this is the real 'Merlin'...and he has magic."

"I see." Laney's eyes shifted from her brother to other man.

"Oh yeah, and he's also our ancestor?"

"Are you asking me, or telling me?"

"Uh..." Gwaine took ahold of Merlin by the shoulders and placed the thinner man in between him and his sister. With an encouraging pat on Merlin's back, Gwaine smiled, "He can explain."

"Way to throw your buddy under the bus, Gwaine!"

"I concur." Merlin agreed, glaring backwards over his shoulder.

* * *

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three:**

* * *

 

He walked into work with a spring in his step. His pride had swelled that morning as he donned his uniform, with the new leaves gracing the corners of the collar. Gwaine made his way to Landry's office to receive his new orders. He rapped on the door and pushed it open, when he heard the general's voice.

The newly-made Marine Major felt as if this, more than anything else, was going to solidify his return to the twenty-first century. Merlin had remained at the house, which Gwaine felt a slight bit of guilt about, as it meant the ancient warlock was going to be subjected to Laney's questions all day. His sister had listened to a brief explanation the night before on Merlin's magic, and how he appeared to be immortal. After a while, they had all felt exhaustion creeping in, and called it a night.

"Ah, Major Dallon, come right in." Landry waved off a salute and motioned to the chair opposite his own. "How are you feeling?"

"Rearing to go, Sir."

"Good! Now, before we get too caught up in things, I should tell you that I have denied both your and Colonel Mitchell's request for placement with SG-1."

"Sir?" Gwaine questioned. His eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

"There're a few reasons behind it, which I don't really need to explain to you, because it's my place to give orders and your's to take them. However, I'm in a sharing mood, so I will.

"First off, traditionally SG-1 has been an Air Force team, not Marines...but I don't really give a hootin' nanny about that. The fact of the matter is, if I placed you in SG-1, it would be like throwing you into the deep end of the pool, with a bunch of wild sharks swimming around your ankles, and you not having a clue on how to do more than doggy paddle. You get my meaning?"

Gwaine nodded. He honestly felt he could hold his own if he was with the elite team under Mitchell's command, but he bit his tongue and kept listening.

"Another, is the issue of fraternization. It seems Lt. Col. Carter may be coming back to the SGC. I make it my place to know the people under my command, and I know the two of you dated in the past. "

"It was one date to a rock concert!" Gwaine protested. He rolled his eyes. "If I was on the same team with her, it wouldn't be an issue, Sir."

Landry shrugged, "Well, I'm assigning you to SG-18 for the time being. I believe you already know Lt. Colonel Reeves from your previous team?" The general continued without waiting for a response. "They're currently on a mission and should be back next week. That should give you time to catch up on their mission reports. Any which way, the slots on SG-1 are now filled. You'll just have to wait and prove to me that you deserve it, Major."

Landry looked around his desk, as if lost for a moment. He opened his mouth to yell out the secondary door to his office.

"Third down in the stack of folders to your right hand side, Sir!" Came the response from Walter, before the general could ask the question.

"Thank you, Walter!" Landry sifted through the clutter and pulled out the file he wanted. Tossing it in front of Gwaine, he said, "Now, I think this might hold a bit more interest for you than even your team placement."

His eyes initially skimmed the page absently, until he noticed the picture of a certain crest...a golden dragon on a red background. He felt his pulse speed up, and he took more care in reading the words on the pages. No other photographs accompanied the file, but he didn't need them.

"Well?" Landry prompted, after a decent amount of time had passed. "Are you interested in seeing more about this?"

He nodded, unable to immediately find his voice. Clearing his throat, he managed to ask, "These pods were found in Glastonbury?"

"Yep. There's a whole system of tunnels under the hill there. The room these were found in, was from an offshoot that ran out under a nearby lake. You think you might know them?"

Shaking his head, partially to answer his CO, but also in disbelief at what his mind was telling him. "I don't know, Sir."

"Let's go down to the quarantine room and take a look then, shall we?"

Gwaine followed silently. One thought playing through his mind: he needed to call Merlin. Unfortunately, that would have to wait until later, after he saw with his own eyes just who was being kept in stasis. From what he had learned of past Stargate missions, it was to never take the reports at face value. For all he knew, it could be some alien race, like the Alterans, posing as a people from Camelot to hide from their fellow Ascended beings. It could be holographic projections inside the pods, giving off the signatures of human life...so many possibilities.

General Landry led the way through a door into an observation room above the quarantined area. A glass wall on one side was angled outward to give a bird's eye view of the medical team below.

Gwaine felt his knees begin to shake.

Two steel-colored, oblong pods laid side by side below. Vast amounts of machinery surrounded them. Square windows on the tops allowed him to see the contents.

Like glass coffins, the pods held three unmoving forms. In the first one, surrounded by a few technicians and Dr. Lam, was a woman and child. Long black curls fell regally around coffee-toned skin and highlighted the thin gold circlet on her brow. The child was young, and appeared contently asleep with his mother's arm cradling him against her red velvet gown, encrusted with gems and embroidered with golden thread.

He noticed her hands, or to be more precise, the discoloration of them. His eyes narrowed as he saw the child had similar blackening of the skin. He flipped open the file and re-read the part about the woman and child. Bubonic Plague. It confirmed what he already knew...what Merlin had described to him.

Gwaine took a breath and forced his eyes over to the second pod. His heart stopped. One glance, and he knew without a doubt, the identity of the man who laid inside.

He was trembling. The trembles turned into shaking, as his head began to spin with a wave of dizziness. Gwaine scrunched his face and forced his emotions aside. "With your permission, Sir, I'd like to call Colonel Emrys in on this."

"The guy from UNIT?"

Gwaine nodded, "He has..." he tried to think of how to explain it. "...information on their conditions before they were placed in stasis."

"So, I take it you do know these people. Dr. Lam was just about ready to begin extrication of the woman and child from the pod. How soon do you think he can get here?"

"About an hour, Sir. He's out at my place."

"I'll send a car." Landry moved to a nearby intercom. "Dr. Lam, hold off for a bit before you begin with the pod."

Lam looked up, realizing for the first time that there were people in the observation room. She nodded her acknowledgement. Her eyes glanced over to Major Dallon, her heart broke seeing the look on his face. Leaving her crew in the room, she made her way out the door and up the stairs to the observation room. Relief filled her mind; hopeful that she could kill two birds with one stone...finding out who these people were, and letting Major Dallon know she was going to do everything in her power to help them.

* * *

 

"Oh my god! Will you teach my brother?"

"Uh...no."

"Please?"

"No." Merlin chuckled and shook his head.

"I'll pay you!"

Merlin shook his head again.

Laney was not above begging and whining. "Why not?"

"He just doesn't have the necessary skill set or patience to learn it. Look, I've been doing this all my life. It's not really something I can teach to just anyone. I really have tried."

"Have you really ever tried to teach my brother?"

"I thought about it, but it just wasn't my place."

"Merlin, please...you've smelled those socks of his. If you could ever find a way...it would be like...magic!"

Merlin was nearly doubled over with laughter. "I admit I did try to teach him how to do laundry once, but...it just didn't take." He tried to put on a straight face as he picked up another bundle of clothes, and begin to fold them.

"What happened?"

"He found the only tub with blue dye in the room and put his red cloak in it. After that, I was done."

"He did that on purpose, you know, so he wouldn't have to do it again."

"It worked."

Merlin's cell phone rang. "Speak of the devil." He answered it with a hushed voice. "Help me...your sister is wanting me to teach you how to wash your socks!"

"That's nice." The voice on the other end deadpanned.

Immediately sobering from the laughter, Merlin asked, "What happened?"

He heard his friend draw a shaking breath and clear his throat. "General Landry is going to be sending a car for you."

"Gwaine?..." Merlin pressed. Laney had stopped matching socks and gave the warlock a worried look. "Why? What is it?"

"I can't really tell you over the phone...but it's happening...what we talked about. He's here, Merlin. All three of them are."

He folded the towel in his hand mechanically, and set it on the pile. His face filled with shadows of emotional upheaval. "Don't bother with the car. It will be quicker if I just teleport."

"Merlin, this place is filled with people and equipment. What if you land on someone?...or something?" Gwaine wasn't sure exactly how his friend's skill worked.

"If you'll let me, I can tap into your mind and see the place where you are. I'll work my magic from there. Let me get a few things and then I'll let you know when I'm ready, alright?"

He could sense Gwaine nod on the other end, just before he disconnected.

"Is everything okay?" Laney asked. Her hands were wringing with worry.

"Gwaine's fine. What we hadn't told you yet, is something very few people know about...and the reason I believe he and I were brought back together." His voice was distant as he spoke, almost as if he was confirming it to himself, more than explaining it to Elaine. "I was once told that someday the Once and Future King would rise again. It was my duty to wait and prepare for that day. I've done the best I could..and when I thought that it was just for Albion...England...it was much easier. Now, with the world the way it is...I don't know...Gwaine thinks that Arthur is there."

Laney reached out and took Merlin's hand. "You'll figure it out, between the two of you."

He returned the gesture, grateful for her support. "I need to call Martha before I go."

With that, he excused himself from the room and rang his wife. If he remembered correctly, she should be getting off work in Berlin, where she had gone to consult on something for UNIT. He listened to the Dubstep ringback tone she had programed, and waited for her to answer.

"'Allo love, I was just thinking about you. How's Colorado?"

Merlin smiled despite the insecurity he currently felt. "I miss you." Although he had six other wives before her, other than Mithian, he couldn't recall having felt so strongly about any of them. He certainly hadn't shared as much about his life and his secrets, with someone in such a short time period, as he did with her. Perhaps it was the fact that she didn't even blink, when he confessed his true age. Or maybe, it was because she was already so used to the supernatural aspects of the world, that she took what he said at face value and never questioned his history. Whatever it was, something about her brought him a measure of calm that he desperately needed.

"I just wanted to hear your voice." He confessed to her.

Her keen perception of nearly every nuance in his voice still astounded him. "It's happening, isn't it?"

"I think so."

"Hey," he could practically hear the smile that lit up on her face. "It's exciting right? To finally be done waiting."

"Yeah..." He felt a full-blown grin forming. She didn't ask if he was alright, or try to mother him in anyway. Nor did she demand that he tell her every detail. He thought when the moment finally came, he would be an emotional wreck. He had anticipated this moment for so long, it was akin to a raw wound in his soul. With just a few words from his wife, he felt a weight had lifted off of his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess it is."

Martha asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"I would say be the best wife I could ever hope to find in the entire universe...but you already nailed that. So, I guess it would be to find out everything you can about some aliens called the Ori. Gwaine seems to think they're going to be a problem...and if Elvis really has returned..."

She giggled at the inside joke. "I'll get right on it.

* * *

__


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four:**

* * *

_"I am the voice of the past that will always be._

_Filled with my sorrows and blood in my fields._

_I am the voice of the future,_

_Bring me your peace,_

_Bring me your peace and my wounds...they will heal."_

_~Eimear Quinn, "I am the Voice"_

* * *

Gwaine wasn't pacing. He wasn't crying, ranting, raving, fidgeting, twitching, or giving off any other sort of emotion one might expect from the normally flamboyant and extroverted man. He was sitting, absolutely still in a chair with his hands folded under his chin, his elbows resting on his knees. Brown eyes stared down into the room below. He thought briefly about calling Percival, but he didn't know what he might tell his friend. Deciding it was better to wait for Merlin, Gwaine had simply sat down.

He listened as Dr. Lam explained her prognosis, and her plans for releasing at least the woman and child. Gwaine confirmed for her that they were indeed mother and son. He also admitted to knowing them, although for an explanation to why they were put into the stasis would have to wait until Colonel Emrys arrived.

Landry rocked back and forth between the balls of his feet and his heels. His hands were stuffed into his pockets as he listened to the major. "So..." he said, becoming a bit impatient. "Who are they?"

Gwaine took a deep breath. "King Arthur of Camelot, and his wife Guinevere. The child is her son, but I never even knew the queen was expecting when I was extracted from that time period."

"How do you know for certain it is her child then?" Dr. Lam asked.

"Because Merlin told me she had a son, about nine months after the Battle of Camlann."

Landry's eyebrows rose. He glanced at Dr. Lam and then back at Dallon. "Merlin...as in the wizard?"

Gwaine grimaced, "Yes. Sir, I should probably inform you that Colonel "Merl" Emrys is actually the real Merlin...and he's going to be in a right state when he gets here, so you might want to prepare yourselves."

"...And what should we prepare for?" Lam asked, her face betraying the confusion she felt.

"It's Merlin...so, who the hell knows." Gwaine chuckled to himself.

The door to the observation room opened and Mitchell entered followed by Doctor Daniel Jackson. Gwaine's eyes flicked briefly towards his friend before returning to their vigil over the pods.

Mitchell greeted General Landry. "Sir, I just heard you decided to stick Dallon here with SG-18, what gives?"

Landry sighed, "I already explained my reasoning, Colonel Mitchell. Besides, I think Major Dallon here is going to be a bit busy assisting with Dr. Lam's project, and dealing with the people in the pods down there. It seems they're rather famous historical figures."

Daniel's eyes lit up. He adjusted the wire-rim glasses on his face. "Really? I've been trying to figure out who they are for weeks."

"The blond princess is King Arthur of Camelot." Gwaine said, finally standing up and turning away from the windows.

"No, I don't think so." Daniel replied with certainty.

"Well, Dr. Jackson, I know the man personally and that is King Arthur."

"From what we've been able to ascertain, the real King Arthur was most likely an Ascended Ancient, and from Dr. Lam's study of that man there...he's human."

Gwaine's eyes widened. He pursed lips together. "Yes...he's human, and he's the real deal."

Daniel sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Perhaps you think he is...or that's who he told you he was. However, trust me, I doubt that is the real "Arthur"." Daniel gave Gwaine a very patronizing look.

Gwaine scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Listen, according to the book I found in the tunnels under Glastonbury, it talked about the Once and Future King returning...I'm positive King Arthur was an Ancient known as Ambrosius Aurelianus..."

"Bloody freaking hell! Are you for real?" Gwaine turned to Cameron. "No offense, Colonel Mitchell, but I'm glad I didn't get assigned to SG-1, if this is what I'd have to deal with."

"Um...None taken...I think. Look, I know Dr. Jackson here is an acquired taste, I will admit." Cameron had spent many evenings when he was on Earth, hanging out with Gwaine over the past few months, including helping him unpack from the move. He even made a trip up north to get Boyd's orange Scout and drive back. He got to hear first hand some of the stuff his buddy had been through. "...BUT! It still would have been nice to have you on the team, and I think after awhile you guys would get along."

Gwaine took a deep breath and held out his hands, palms facing downward. He turned back towards the archeologist. "I served for nearly five years under that man. I was knighted while Arthur was the prince regent when King Uther had taken ill." His voice lowered and he closed the couple of steps between himself and Jackson, almost threateningly. "I know who he is."

"I suppose next you're going to say the woman is Queen Guinevere?" Daniels voice dripped with sarcasm.

Gwaine looked like he was ready to burst when Cameron stepped in between them. "Hold up here. Let's just take a breath and settle this peaceably, alright?"

Daniel laughed, "I'm sorry, but Guinevere is said to be fair of skin and have blond hair. Now, I realize that may not entirely accurate, but there is so much out there to support that theory that it has to have some basis. Plus, if you think about the time frame, it was highly unlikely that a queen, or nobility of any kind, back in the Dark Ages would have been anything other than someone of Anglo-Celt, or Anglo-Saxon decent."

The former knight of Camelot threw up his hands in surrender. "Believe what you want Dr. Jackson, but that is Queen Guinevere and my king!"

"Your king?" Landry asked suddenly. He'd been watching the exchange with Dr. Lam, trying to let the two men settle it between themselves, and finding it rather entertaining. Gwaine's slip, however, raised his eyebrows.

Cringing, Gwaine turned towards the general. "Sorry, Sir. I spent years at that man's side, through hell, high water, and a few sieges. I fought for him...I bled for him...I served him, I nearly died more than once for him. Old habits really do die hard, I suppose."

"As long as you know where your currently loyalties lie, Major. I'll let it slide this once. So...who exactly is he? I only ask, because it appears the two of you are at an impasse." Landry smirked humorlessly.

Gwaine stilled for a moment and his eyes seemed to lose focus.

"You alright there, Dallon?" Cameron asked, watching as his friend seemed to suffer a sudden dizzy spell.

"Yeah...um...just wasn't expecting him to contact me like that."

"Expecting who?...To contact you how?" Landry asked, although he already had an idea.

"The magic man himself." Gwaine smirked with his secret knowledge.

"Who?" Daniel asked with heightened curiosity. The argument about the man in stasis was forgotten for the time being.

Landry laughed, "Oh, some UNIT Colonel who thinks he's the great mystical magician, Merlin himself."

"Actually, General, I prefer the term Warlock." A heavily accented voice said from the corner of the room.

Everyone turned, startled by the man who seemed to materialize in the corner. Cameron's hand went immediately for a non-existent sidearm. Landry's eyes shifted to the emergency alarm system near the door. Dr. Lam just stared with her mouth open. Gwaine chuckled.

"Warlock, meaning 'oath-breaker'?" Daniel asked rhetorically. Years of experience with aliens teleporting in and out around him, had the archeologist barely raising an eyebrow at the sudden appearance.

"Actually, there is also the Scottish etymology which simply is a male witch. The individual syllables of 'ward' and 'lock', mean 'to protect', or my personal favorite, the Norse version 'Varð-lokkur', meaning 'Caller of Spirits'. It wasn't until around the fourteenth century that its meaning became synonymous with something much more foul." The youthful-looking man with dark-hair and startling blue eyes, walked forward and held his hand out. A sloppy grin was plastered on his face, as he approached Dr. Jackson. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Merlin."

Daniel shook the self-proclaimed warlock's hand. "Dr. Daniel Jackson." He replied casually. "So, you think your Merlin, huh?"

Merlin gave a shrug that reeked of boredom. "It's the name I was born with."

"...And when was that exactly?"

"I was born in the year five-hundred and eleven in a small village called Ealdor, on the border of Camelot and Essetir...which later became the western part of Essex. I was twenty-eight at the Battle of Camlann in five-hundred and thirty-nine, when I stopped aging...other than the occasional aging spell to get me out of trouble, that is." He gave a cheeky smile.

"THAT WAS YOU!" Gwaine hooted at the dawning realization concerning the identity of one of Camelot's most wanted sorcerers, Dragoon the Great.

"Whoa, wait..." Cameron interrupted, "So...what are you then? If you say you were born that long ago, shouldn't you be...I don't know...dead?...Unless you're some type of alien."

"Colonel Mitchell has a point." Daniel said. The young man in front of him seemed rather normal...aside from just appearing in the room with them. "...And if that's really Arthur, then why is he human?"

"What do you mean, 'why is he human?" Merlin's eyebrows nearly disappeared into the hair on his forehead.

"Well, according to all my research..."

"...And let me tell you, he does a lot of it." Cameron interjected into the conversation.

Daniel smirked, "Yeah...anyway, I'd come to the conclusion that Arthur, if he existed, was an Ancient. I mean the books say there is the prophecy of the Once and Future King returning. A human can't really do that, except under special circumstances. So, it would make sense that he would be an Ascended being instead. Especially if he supposedly has the power they claim."

Gwaine and Merlin glanced at each other. The former was snickering; the latter was looking at Daniel, as if the man had just grown a second head.

"Is he for real?" Merlin asked his friend, before turning back to the members of SG-1. "First off, I think I'm human..."

"That's still up for debate." Gwaine commented into his hand.

"Shut up, Gwaine." Merlin responded without missing a beat. "And I'm sure if you think about it, really hard, it will all make sense to you. I mean, why would these supposed Ancients of yours put my 'human' king and his 'human' wife into their stasis pods? UNLESS, they intended them to return at some point. Also, let me tell you, after fourteen centuries of waiting for them, my patience is a bit thin right now. So, actually, if we could get on with this, I would be very grateful."

"Fifteen." Gwaine whispered loudly. "That's okay though, they say the mind is the first thing to go."

"What are you talking about?"

It was Dr. Lam who responded first. "If you were born when you say, then you're over fifteen hundred years old now. Plus, he's got a good point, Dr. Jackson." Lam smiled pleasantly. "I saw first hand the armor and clothing that Major Dallon and his friend were wearing, when they were brought through the gate. It is extremely similar to everything I can see. I think we can trust Major Dallon's identification of that man."

"Good enough for me!" The general said, clapping his hands together. "Now that's all settled, since you are just a visitor here, Colonel Emrys, I hope you won't mind if I assign you an escort...just to..."

"Keep an eye on me?"

"Something like that. Although what good it will do for a man who can appear out of thin air, I'm not quite sure. If you'll excuse me, I'll leave you with Dr. Lam." Landry exited the room and instructed the guard outside the door to call for an escort for Colonel Emrys. The look on the man's face was priceless, when he realized there was another person inside the room. "Oh, the entertainment value of running this place is amazing." The general chuckled softly to himself, as he walked away.

Merlin turned to Gwaine, who simply nodded his head towards the wall of windows in the observation room. The warlock approached them with trepidation. He closed his eyes for a moment as he reached the glass. Taking a breath, he slowly reopened his eyes and looked down. Lying just as he had when Merlin placed his body in the boat to Avalon, was the king. His red cloak wrapped around his shoulders, the golden dragon crest embroidered with metallic thread, gleamed from over the king's heart.

He felt his knees go weak at the sight below. Gwaine was there to catch him. "It's real...isn't it?" He whispered.

Gwaine simply nodded. No words could truly express the relief, and subsequent anxiety, that flooded both of them.

"I need to get down there!" Merlin demanded with a sudden rush of adrenaline coursing through his body. Over a thousand years' worth of tears threatening to explode from his eyes.

Dr. Lam stepped in front of him. "I'm sorry Colonel, but precautions need to be..."

His voice was suddenly cold when he spoke. "I don't care about your precautions. I will go down there and honestly..." He chuckled sourly. "...there is nothing you or anyone on this Base can do to stop me."

"Merlin." Gwaine's voice caught his friend's attention. "Just take a breath, okay. Hear them out."

He had wanted to go down there himself, once he realized who they were, until Dr. Lam had described to him the condition they were in, and the delicate machinery helping to sustain the integrity of the pods. "Those pods and that equipment are the only things keeping them alive right now. You don't want your years of waiting to be in vain."

Taking a deep breath, Merlin closed his eyes and nodded. He would listen to what they had to say...to a point. He couldn't really explain why his temper had flared like it had. "May I at least be allowed to go down there, while we speak?"

Lam nodded and motioned to the door, before leading them out.

Gwaine spared a glance towards Cameron, as they both noticed the way Dr. Jackson appeared to be trailing the other two. Through his glasses, he was watching Merlin cautiously and curiously, obviously at war with himself to maintain his skepticism or jump the man with questions; like some sort of history-fanboy.

Lam suffered no such dilemma. She was a very observant woman, as many doctors had to be. During her tenure at the SGC, since Dr. Janet Fraiser was killed in the line of duty, Lam had seen all sorts of things. "When you first came into the Base, Colonel Emrys, I noticed how familiar the two of you seemed to be." She said, referring to Major Dallon. "I thought it was a bit odd, given his file, unless you somehow knew each over the last few years."

Merlin offered her a guilty smile. "Well, he's known me the past few years, but it had been many centuries since I last saw him. Before you ask...No, I don't know what has kept me alive so long, other than perhaps my magic."

"I don't want to seem too forward. However, if we get a chance, I'd like to run some of your bloodwork?"

"My wife, Dr. Jones, has already done that. She hasn't been able to find anything different."

"...but does UNIT have access to the genome database from the computer core of the Ancients' city of Atlantis?"

Merlin pursed his lips, completely unaware that a city, which was already a myth by the time he was born, had been found. Though, it didn't come as a shock that it was actually alien. "No...not that I'm aware of. Hmm. It might be something for us to discuss at a future time. Right now though, my focus is on what can be done to help Arthur, Gwen, and Aurie. Hey, Gwaine, I remembered the boy's name! It's Aurelianus."

"That means 'golden' or 'gilded.'" Daniel Jackson supplied, unable to keep his mouth shut.

Nodding, Merlin turned to look at him. "Yes, I had told Gwen about the prophecy. Arthur's reign was supposed to usher in the 'Golden Age of Albion'. She named her child to honor that."

Gwaine smirked, "I knew you would remember. I think Arthur will be proud of that name."

They came to the door, a level down from the observation room. Dr. Lam nodded to the airman guarding the door. He swiped his keycard through the slit next the keypad, and the door lock clanked open with an accompanying hiss, as the quarantine seal was breached.

"Dr. Jackson, Colonel Mitchell, it might be best if the two of you wait out here so we don't crowd the room." She suggested politely as her way of telling the two members of SG-1 to stay out of her space. Reluctantly, especially for Daniel, they agreed. Once inside, Lam turned to the technicians monitoring the pods, and asked them to leave for a few minutes.

She stood out of the way and let the two men proceed further into the room without her. They moved side by side to the first pod; the one that held the man, King Arthur, if they were telling the truth, and Dr. Lam had no reason to suspect they weren't. Reverently they approached, and Merlin placed his hand on the clear window of the pod.

Inside laid his king. The crimson of the cloak stood out in bold contrast against the pale skin.

"...Bright red, motionless and silent..."

"What?" Merlin asked in a hoarse voice.

"Nothing." Gwaine shook his head. "Just a quote about a place I like to go sometimes with a lot of rocks. He was our rock, wasn't he? The thing that held us all together."

"He was like the stone from which the Round Table was carved." Merlin's tenuous hold on his emotions faltered, as memories of those ten years by Arthur's side flooded his mind. He shoved them away quickly, not yet ready to deal with them. With a shaking breath and trembling hands, he wiped his palm across his face.

The warlock turned to the queen and he placed his hand over her face, wishing he could embrace her. For the first time in centuries, he recalled those last few days of her reign with vivid clarity.

 

  
  
Graphic by Aerist

* * *

 

_It was a few days after he had set Arthur in the boat, drifting to Avalon in the magical wind, when Merlin found his way back to Camelot to inform the queen._

_Guinevere had mourned deeply for losing her husband, though in the public eye she remained the pillar of strength. Leaning heavily on Leon's advice when it came to matters concerning the army, she also heeded Merlin's council on the day-to-day running of the castle. When Arthur was king, no one questioned his authority, even with a peasant queen at his side. Without him, however, the dissension among the nobles began. Even the servants, whom Gwen had once served with and called her friends, had opinions._

_Odin broke his truce, as did Mercia, and many other neighboring kingdoms followed suit. At first, with Camelot's army still strong, they maintained their distance, but like wild dogs, they had begun to smell blood and were circling. Thankfully, the Saxons from the east, and the Gauls from the south were keeping many of them busy with fighting to keep the invaders from the shores of the land._

_When Gwen announced her pregnancy, a surge of strength flowed through the kingdom, breathing new life into Camelot. Although still not satisfied with a base-born queen, the thought of Arthur's heir rallied the nobles into action to maintain and protect their lands._

_When Aurelinus was born, a great cheer went up from the city and it felt as if Camelot had been given a rebirth of its own. A year later, and the boy was growing healthy and strong. Merlin and Gwen began discussing the possibility of changing some of the laws in Camelot. No sorcerer or druid had been sentenced to death for many years. The witch hunts surrounding the Purge had become lost to the past. No one had came forward in a quest of vengeance since before Arthur had perished._

_They brought Leon and Gaius in on their plans. Geoffrey was the next to be let into the secret meetings. Through him, they were able to meet with a few of the Noble Council who also had a softer heart, when it came to affairs of magic._

_Even though he still missed Arthur, Merlin was beginning to feel a sense of hope for the future. Yet again, fate began to intercede and everything changed so suddenly..._

_"Merlin?"_

_"Yes, My Lady?" He bowed to the queen and she in turn scoffed at the gesture. He smiled teasingly._

_"A runner from one of the outlying villages arrived today, begging for assistance. It appears the town has been suffering some sort of ailment and their healer can do nothing for it. I thought about sending Gaius..."_

_"He's getting too old to make such a journey, Gwen." Merlin immediately argued._

_"I know. That is why I believe you should go instead. You have proven yourself many times over. Sir Leon is out with a patrol assessing the current situation along the Mercian borders, so I would like you take a few of the knights you feel most comfortable with on this journey."_

_He didn't really know, or feel comfortable with many of the current knights. They all appeared to be good and honorable men, but he had distanced himself from them for the most part, since losing Arthur. Although they never said, he felt some of them blamed him for not returning to Camelot with the king. Only Gwen and Leon knew the full truth, and the lengths he had gone through, in his attempt to save Arthur._

_"When you return, we shall begin the final preparations for all that we have discussed."_

_A smile filled his face and he bowed once again to her._

* * *

 

_They rode hard to the border village only to find the disease had already taken it's toll. It was nothing like anything Merlin had ever seen before. Experience with battle wounds and magical maladies, he had in droves. The lumps and discoloration in the victims of this new sickness left him stumped. Although the heaviest death toll appeared to be in some of the filthier areas of town, the entire village appeared to be affected by it._

_In the end, there was nothing he could do. He spent over a week trying to contain the ailing populace. Even his magic didn't appear to have an effect. No sooner would he think that he had healed someone, when the person would fall ill again from it. It appeared the disease was immune to his magic._

_Despite his arguments with the Knight Captain who lead the patrol, the village was declared unclean. The knights sent for more guards to come and quarantine the roads, not allowing any of the villagers to leave. It broke Merlin's heart, almost more so than when he had held a dying Arthur in his arms, to see the children, especially, falling to the illness._

_Merlin had hastily returned to Camelot with two of the guards. He felt if he could at least consult with Gaius, that between the two of them, they could find a way to stave off the threatening Plague long enough to find a cure. Any hope of being able to help the town fled from his mind when he realized that, in his absence, the Plague had come to Camelot._

_Gaius was doing his best to treat the cases that he came across, but Merlin saw almost instantly upon his arrival, the discoloration that had begun to taint his mentor's skin. The two of them worked diligently...the village all but forgotten...as they strived to save Camelot. Within a few days, the disease took its heaviest toll yet, and Gaius succumbed to the illness._

_Camelot was crumbling. Outside the city walls piles of ash, that were once bodies of healthy and happy citizens, grew. The Lower Town was nothing more than a ghost town within two weeks. Leon and the patrol returned, bearing news of even more towns suffering from the same._

_Then came the night that Merlin would never forget. As he approached the queen's chambers, he could hear her sobbing. Merlin knocked softly before he entered, to find her in nothing but her shift, as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. There, just below the shoulder, near her armpit were the beginnings of the disease._

_"Is there nothing you can do, Merlin?" She asked. Her voice was so soft, he barely heard her. "Aurie..."_

_Merlin quickly went to look at the budding toddler, sleeping restlessly in his mother's bed. His heart stopped. "I'm going to talk to the druids...or maybe go down to the vaults...maybe there is something somewhere there that can help."_

_"Why can't your magic do anything?!" She screamed. "Camelot's people are dying...Arthur's people are dying. How can I care for them all, when I never wanted to be their queen? When all I wanted to be was his wife! I don't know what to do Merlin! TELL ME WHAT TO DO?" She was in hysterics, but he couldn't blame her._

_Tears flowed from his eyes. "I'll find something Gwen. I promise. I'll find something!"_

* * *

 

_He raced out into the forest, easily making his way past the guards on the walls. Mentally he called out to the druids, and received no response. When Merlin finally found a druid encampment, he fell to his knees...not a single person remained alive._

_Rushing back towards Camelot, he pulled up his horse near a familiar meadow. Arching his neck, his voice called out in the Dragon tongue. He knew Kilgharrah would not answer. The Great Dragon had succumbed to his age around the same time that Arthur had died._

_A misshapen, white form finally appeared reluctantly in front of the Dragon Lord. "Please, can you help me, Aithusa? Is there any wisdom of your kind that you possess?"_

_Merlin had called for the young dragon on a few previous occasions, since Morgana's demise; attempting to find a way to heal the creature, and gain some sort of rapport._

_Aithusa balked at his attempts. She was more akin to the beastial wyvern, than to the Great Dragon, and Merlin's commands were only vaguely followed._

_Aithusa hissed at the warlock and surprisingly, through a brief spurt of telepathic communication, only gave one message. "The Queen will follow her King to the grave and Beyond."_

_Nothing more was offered, even though Merlin tried to push for an answer. As dawn began to rise, he released his hold over Aithusa, and rode back to Camelot._

_With nothing left to lose, he made his way deep under the castle; into the vaults of magical treasures that Uther had been unable to destroy. He searched through books and scrolls, looking frantically for something...for anything...that could help save Gwen and Aurie. Bumping against a shelf, a familiar artifact caught his eye._

_Nearly the size of his hand, and glowing with an inner fire as it sat on a red pillow, was the Crystal of Neahtid. He knew now the true power of the Crystal hewn from the cave in the Valley of the Fallen Kings. The cave had given him back his powers when Morgana stole them, but it wasn't in time to save Arthur. There was no healing power in the Crystal, but perhaps he could use visions granted by it, to find a way to save his friends._

_Tentatively, he reached for the stone, mentally preparing himself for the onslaught of images._

_They came rushing at his touch. Lands and beings he couldn't even begin to dream about, let alone describe. Metal creatures commanded by men to tear down a building taller than a mountain. Flying beasts in the sky soared around, in a whole rainbow of colors. Deep in a cave, surrounded by unfamiliar things and noises, he saw Gwen standing in front of metallic sarcophagus._

_The vision quickly shifted to a more familiar sight. A lake shore, with a boat fading away into the mist. A dying queen and her child...floating away in hopes of joining her beloved husband._

* * *

 

_Tears flowed freely down his face as he recalled Gwen's hand, blackened by disease, in his own as he helped her into the boat. Leon stood a few paces away, holding Aurie close to his chest. His own face was contorted with heartache. The knight's life had been dedicated to the Pendragon family, just as much as Merlin's had been. Leon felt the added heartache as he watched Gwen board the vessel, of a childhood friend...dying._

_The two men stood side-by-side as the queen drifted away._

_Merlin allowed his mind to wander briefly to Leon. He and the knight had gathered the surviving people, after the disease had run its course, and fled to Nemeth. The blond man fell into a commanding role in the new kingdom easily. When war came, he was always on the front lines of the Nemethian Army, including when he was sent to the continent._

_Merlin occasionally received updates concerning the state of the war. After nearly five years of being absent, a report came in that Sir Leon, the last true Knight of Camelot was gone. It was suspected that he had been taken prisoner and killed. Even a trip to the encampments of the Nemethian forces, had yielded no other information. Try as Merlin might, whether it was through scrying and magic, or a personal foot search, he had found no sign of what truly happened to his friend._

* * *

 

A hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present. Gwen's still form laid in front of him, and his friend stood beside him. Merlin wiped away the tears and attempted to compose himself. He looked up at Dr. Lam. Her eyes were glossy as she tried to hold back her own emotions.

She might not have known the people in the room that well, but the overwhelming sorrow that emanated from them was palpable. Clearing her throat, she moved forward and joined the men standing beside the pods. "Our plan is to extract the mother and child first. We have a clean room set up with IV's of antibiotics ready to combat their symptoms. Unless you tell me otherwise, Colonel Emrys, we are going under the assumption that they are suffering from mid-to-late stages of the Bubonic Plague. We are ready to treat the acral necrosis of the extremities, with a surgical team standing by as a last resort.

"Since we can't determine how far the disease has progressed beyond our visual through the pod's window, we just wanted to make certain all of our bases were covered."

The two men nodded and listened.

"For the child...Aurie?" She asked to confirm the boy's name. Merlin nodded in response and Lam continued, "I have a pediatric specialist I knew from working with the CDC, who has successfully treated children who have come in contact with this disease. He is fully briefed on the situation and ready to go when we are."

"Thank you. I tried to heal them with my magic, but I could only manage to treat the physical symptoms. Something about the heart of the disease never responded to it."

"Well, perhaps before we resort to any sort of amputation, once the antibiotics kick in, you can give it a go with your unique skills." She smiled bashfully. "I'd kind of like to see it in action."

Merlin smiled and sniffled, looking around for a tissue. Gwaine found a box and handed it over to his friend. "What about Arthur?"

Lam walked over to the pod where the king laid. "He's proving a bit more difficult."

At this both men snorted, glancing at each other with a chuckle. "Yeah, that's the princess for ya. Always had to be the difficult one."

"Well," she continued, attempting to stifle a giggle. "We can't penetrate the armor with any of our existing technology...so, we don't know what we would be treating if we extracted him."

"Oy! Good luck separating him from his armor. Did you know, the dollop head even wore it to his wedding?! I was his manservant at the time, and I can tell you: unless he was heading to bed with his wife, the idea of getting him out of that for anything, was absolutely maddening!"

Gwaine guffawed loudly, recalling the wedding. "Oh, she was furious. Gwen kept her composure all through the wedding and the crowning ceremony after it, but I was wandering the halls later...and heard her arguing with him about how she was going to sleep in her own bedchambers if he even thought about wearing it to bed!"

"You were lucky to be just passing by...I was still in the room!" Merlin turned to the doctor. "Do you have any idea how awkward it is to be standing in the bedchambers of a newly married couple arguing on their wedding night? All I wanted was to get him out of that chainmail and leave so I could go polish it, while a rather drunk monarch was talking about polishing other things...if you catch my meaning."

Redness spread across the apples of Lam's cheeks as she tried not to laugh. For all the complaining about the man frozen before them, there was a warmth in their voices that spoke of a deep friendship. "Well, we do have bolt cutters, sawzalls, and lasers ready. So, I think the armor will be the least of our problems." She said, bringing them back to the matter at hand. Taking a few breaths, she composed herself. "Our main concern is actually what we will find underneath."

Merlin nodded in understanding. His voice slipped into a physician's tone as he began to describe his king's injury. "He has a lacerated puncture wound approximately three inches across, just below his rib cage on the left hand side, from a sword that pierced completely through to his back. Unfortunately, a piece of the sword broke off inside of him. I'm unsure how big it is, but the sword was forged in a dragon's breath..."

"Excuse me?" Lam looked up from the chart where she was making notations.

"Yes, dragons did exist. Their breath held magical properties. One of which, was being able to imbue magic into the blade of a sword. It was said to be able to destroy anything living or dead. The shrapnel...for lack of a better term...began to work its way from the initial wound up towards the heart."

"Ooh, kind of like Iron Man," she commented.

The warlock had to snicker at the analogy. "Yes, I suppose it is."

Gwaine snorted, "Except that he's wearing steel, and not a fine 3-D knit alloy with solar-powered micro-circuitry."

Merlin and Lam stared at Gwaine.

The former knight shrugged, "What? I used to love those comic books."

Rubbing at his red-rimmed eyes, the warlock laughed, before continuing his description of Arthur's injuries to Dr. Lam.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five:**

* * *

 

It felt like fire and needles, at least the parts she still had sensation in on her hands. Her fingers looked as if she had stuck them into a burning fire, and any pain had long since ceased. Stoically, she sat in the small craft, as the waves gently rocked the dingy back and forth. A gentle breeze toyed with the long curls that lay down her back. A soft whimper escaped the bundle in her arms, and she absently shushed her son.

Her eyes watched vacantly as the shore disappeared. Two loyal friends, all that remained of Arthur's great dream, stood on the small beach to see her off. Her heart, already shredded, felt nothing at the sight of them.

A growing gray mist began to gather around her. The chill of the moist air created an involuntary shiver through her already aching body. Gwen gritted her teeth against the pain that arose.

Soon the fog had completely encompassed the small boat, and she could no longer see the men, or their forlorn faces. She felt a single moment of regret, wondering if her choice to join her husband in death, was simply suicide...but she pushed it away. Merlin had given her a small spark of hope, but she dared not kindle it to anything more than a flicker.

The maid-turned-queen had already accepted the idea that she and her child were going to die, from the sickness that bred inside them. Perhaps, this was the easy way out...but anything else seemed much more painful. Unbeknownst to the warlock, Gwen had taken a bottle of hemlock from Gaius' stores. She didn't know what laid ahead for herself and her son, but if the suffering became too great, she wouldn't hesitate to ease it.

The vessel came to a jarring halt, and Gwen nearly dropped her son; swaddled like an infant, though he was just over a year old. Shaken out of her stupor, she turned around and saw that the craft had landed on an island. A man stood in front of her. His hand was outstretched to assist her out of the boat.

She didn't know him, though she felt strangely comforted by his presence. His manner of dress was completely foreign to her. "Come. I have been waiting for you, Guinevere." He said, using her name as if he was familiar with her.

"What is this place?" She asked in a gravelly voice. So much of the past few days had been spent crying and screaming out her frustrations. It was not queenly, nor was it something she would have done before she was married. With no one to cast the blame upon, her tears were all she had.

The green hill rose before her with a pillar gracing the highest point. It felt serene and she found herself admiring the simple beauty of it all. From Merlin's description, she expected to be met by small, blue, man-like creatures he had called the Sidhe. Gwen was grateful for the normal-appearing man who waited instead.

"Your people call it Avalon, I believe. Come now, we must make haste. Your king awaits you, and if I am found, all the preparations for the future will have been in vain."

The queen didn't know why, but she trusted him as he led her towards the pillar. Standing next to it, he paused for a moment, as if in deep thought, before large rings appeared around them.

A flash of light blinded her temporarily, and as Gwen blinked away the sensation, she realized they were no longer standing on the hill.

"If I had time, I would heal you of the ailment." He told her, as he led her through a tunnel and into a room. On a table, she recognised a workstation similar to the one on which Gaius would craft his potions and tonics. Also on the table, was a sword with a piece missing. Gwen raised an eyebrow at the shoddy, but recognisable, craftsmanship of a Saxon blade; having been a blacksmith's daughter. It was a wonder the invaders from the continent even stood a chance, against the finely honed blades of Camelot.

Other items in the room were not so commonplace, and she couldn't begin to make sense of them...until her eyes lit on a pane of glass, slightly convexed, surrounding the face of a man she now only saw in her dreams.

With a sob, she whispered his name; all the other oddities in the room forgotten.

"Arthur..."

He appeared as if he were only sleeping.

"I have been trying to find a way to remove the piece of sword from his chest, but the methods are beyond what I am able to discover."

"He can be saved then?"

"Yes, he can..." The man was startled by something unseen. "Quickly, you and your son must enter the stasis pod."

Although she didn't understand what it was, Gwen climbed in and laid down. Holding her son tightly, the man smoothed out her hair and offered an encouraging smile.

"When you awaken, the world will have changed drastically. Do not be afraid, for all things will be as they should."

A glass, similar to what covered Arthur, magically slid in place above her. For a few seconds, Gwen felt a hint of claustrophobia before sleep claimed her.

* * *

 

"Gwen...Guinevere?" The warmth of the voice called to her, through her sleepy haze. She felt the soft touch of fingers stroking her cheek.

"Hmm..." She turned her face towards the hand and her eyelashes began to flutter. Slowly she opened her eyes. Merlin's smiling face was close to her own. There was something different about him. His hair...or perhaps his eyes...she couldn't be certain. It was her friend, that was all she knew. Gwen smiled, "Merlin..."

"Shhh. You're safe now, My Lady."

Reality began filtering into her mind. "Aurie?!" She tried to sit up when a spike of anxiety took hold of her.

"He's fine. He's just over there."

Her eyes followed his outstretched hand. Her son was laying in a clear glass-looking bassinet with a man, dressed in an odd manner, standing over him. She bit her lip in worry.

Merlin placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "He's alright. These people here were able to heal him...and you."

Gwen breathed a sigh of relief and sat back against the pillows. She lifted her hand to take Merlin's, noticing first that the discoloration was nearly gone. It was then she saw and felt the odd things attached to her arm. Tiny needles that connected to odd tubing, almost like the thin metal straws Gaius used to use, but what these were made of, she couldn't begin to guess. They led up to a metal pole, hung with clear bags...almost like thin, transparent waterskins, filled with clear liquid.

Another flare of panic flowed through her and she found herself soon caught up in Merlin's arms. He held her and whispered soothing nonsense into her hair, until she finally calmed.

Taking a closer look at Merlin, Gwen noticed it was more than his hair and the age in his eyes. He was dressed in light blue, thin fabric that exposed his arms. She felt her chest tighten at all the strangeness, but then she recalled what the man had said before she fell asleep. She was frightened, but her dearest friend's presence amongst the emotions gave her hope.

Glancing around again, she hoped to see Arthur and her heart sank when he was nowhere in sight. "The man..." she croaked, her voice hoarse from not being used in so long. "He said he was trying to heal Arthur..."

The warlock's brow furrowed, "What man?"

A woman came up next to Merlin and smiled at the queen; unintentionally interrupting the conversation.

"Gwen, this is Dr. Lam. She's a physician, and she's the one who healed you."

"I just knew the right antibiotics to get rid of the disease. He's the one who managed to save all of your extremities from the gangrene." The doctor said, humbly.

Gwen smiled at the woman politely. Some of the words were foreign to her, but the overall meaning was conveyed. Her eyes turned back to Merlin, silently demanding an answer to her question.

Merlin's smile faltered slightly. "Arthur is nearby, but..."

"Is he still in that...thing?"

"Um...yeah. How did you know?" His face betrayed his confusion.

Dark brown eyes filled with tears, as Gwen's attention shifted back to the woman. "Can you heal my husband?"

Dr. Lam glanced at Merlin momentarily. He nodded and she began to explain, "We're doing all we can to accomplish that. His condition is critical, so it's an uphill battle. We are hopeful that we can remove the sword piece from his body, using some borrowed technology. However, we don't yet know the amount of damage it has done to his internal organs, or the nature of the...'magic'...that imbued the metal it was made from."

Taking another deep breath, Gwen nodded. She began to notice the overwhelming sounds...a soft beeping, a constant humming, and the sound of wind; even though she couldn't feel a breeze in the cave-like room. Light, as bright as the sun, but the color of the moon shone from overhead.

"Could I see my son?" She whispered, while still clinging tightly to Merlin.

The doctor smiled and motioned to the man near the basinette. He set aside the board he held, and rolled the small bed closer. Careful of the IV lines that supplied hydration and the life-saving antibiotics, Aurie was placed in his mother's arms. Gwen sobbed with relief when she saw no sign of the disease.

"Hey!"

Gwen looked up to see a strange man near the door. He was dressed in dark green, mottled-patterned clothing, had short hair, and a flirtatious smile...which he offered unabashedly as he walked in. His voice seemed familiar to the queen.

The man ran a hand through his short hair and chuckled, realizing how different he must appear to her. "Don't recognize me?" She shook her head slowly. The man chuckled, "Well, you still look like a princess to me."

"Sir Gwaine?!" She gasped. Her eyes were wide and she looked to Merlin for confirmation.

Nodding, Merlin smiled, "I finally found him."

* * *

 

They spent a little while speaking, but Merlin soon noticed how tired his queen, and friend, appeared. "You should try and rest. The people here may seem a bit strange, but they will take good care of you and Aurie. In a little while, we'll take you to see Arthur, alright?"

Gwen smiled and bit back her tears. "Merlin...how long...?"

The warlock glanced over at Gwaine, uncertain how he should answer. Gwaine was already from this modern place, and was easily able to grasp the concepts of time travel and technology. Percival was given a crash course, but the large man hadn't suffered as much as Gwen before he was brought into this world, fully conscious.

It was Gwaine who finally answered, "A long time. It would be best discussed when you're feeling a bit stronger. There's going to be a lot to take in."

She nodded. Her mind wanted answers, but her friend was correct in assuming that she didn't have the strength to deal with it all at the moment.

One of the technicians came up and gently took Aurie from his mother, placing him in the bassinette. "Dr. Lam wanted me to give you something to help you sleep, when you are ready." The young woman, wearing a thin v-neck shirt and matching pants, similar to what Merlin had on, said, "My name is Cassie. I just came on shift, so I will be monitoring your vitals, and those of your son, while you sleep. I'll still be here when you wake up."

"Thank you...Cassie."

Merlin leaned in and hugged Gwen tightly to him. "It's all going to be fine. Soon you'll be hugging Arthur, and you'll get to introduce him to this little angel of yours."

He moved back so Gwaine could say his goodbyes as well, before the two men left the room.

They stepped out into the hallway. Gwaine put his back against the wall across from the door and mashed his eyes shut. Merlin's face was expressionless as he took up a similar pose, opposite Gwaine, near the door. Merlin's 'guard' briefly glanced at the two men.

"That was harder than I ever imagined it to be." Merlin said softly.

"I never imagined myself being in this type of situation," Gwaine admitted. "I think she took it all rather well. The stuff about Arthur and everything else. She'll be fine when we explain the rest to her, I'm sure."

"Dallon!" A voice called from the end of the hallway.

Gwaine stood up straight seeing Cameron and Teal'c coming towards him. "Colonel Mitchell?"

"I know it's your first full day back and all, but we've got a situation brewing that requires all hands on deck. Suit up and report to Colonel Dixon of SG-13 in the briefing room. You're heading to Seattle to help with some evacuations." Cameron didn't slow as he spoke to Gwaine, and kept on walking right past him, through the hall. The large Jaffa following Cameron, didn't even raise an eyebrow.

"Yes Sir!" Gwaine acknowledged, as the two men turned a corner that would take them to the Gate Room. He looked at Merlin and sighed, "Duty calls."

Merlin nodded. It was interesting for him to see how well his friend fit into this military lifestyle. "You never took orders from Arthur that easy."

"I did..." he argued, "...eventually."

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Merlin wasn't sure which of them was having the most difficulty in accepting the other's presence, in this new time. He figured it was himself, more than Gwaine. From Gwaine's perspective, they had been only separated by a few days, following Camlann. "I'll contact Percival and let him know what's going on here. You go deal with whatever you need to."

Gwaine fished in his pocket for his keys. He tossed them to Merlin. "Take the Beast if you need to go anywhere...just promise not to wreck it. Pops would kill me, if something happened to his baby." With a deep breath, Gwaine felt his energy returning and he jogged down the hallway, leaving Merlin.

Merlin glanced at his guard and smirked. He pulled out his cell phone. "Don't suppose you know of an area that actually gets reception around here?"

* * *

 

"They are really there?"

"Yes, they are." Merlin was standing outside the base on a hilltop. The bright sun was high in the azure sky and was just beginning its descent. The day had been filled with so much already, that Merlin was certain it would have been dark when he was escorted outside, to make the phone call. Back in the UK, it was well past sundown. He'd worried about waking his friend at first, but pushed it aside. Percival needed to know what was happening.

Merlin gave the larger man a brief rundown of the situation.

"I want to join you." Percival said, hardly able to speak past the lump in his throat.

"You realize that would mean getting on an airplane?"

"Can't you just teleport me?...Like you did before?"

Merlin sighed and rubbed his neck. "I could, but it left me feeling magically exhausted for a few days. I would rather conserve my energy, in case my magic is needed to save Arthur. Listen, I'll call Martha. I want her to come as well. She can meet you at Heathrow, and fly with you here."

He could hear Percival's heavy breathing on the other end. From all accounts, the knight had been adjusting really well to the situation. However, the thought of flying was, thus far, the one thing he couldn't seem to get past. A few minutes of silence passed, "I would probably just be in your way there."

Merlin could sense the guilt over his friend's decision through the phone. It wasn't easy for Percival to admit any sort of weakness. Sidestepping the issue like he did, was the closest he would come. The warlock bit the inside of his cheek and sighed, "Alright. Well, I need you and Mickey to do me a favor then."

"What is that?"

__

* * *

__


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six:**

* * *

Gwen sat in a chair next to the unopened pod. Her son played quietly in her lap. "Oh, Arthur...I can't wait for you to meet your son." Tears fell from her eyes. She was mildly amazed that she had anything left to cry after the last month of her life.

A very nice lady had explained to the former queen about the time difference, and how Gwen was now centuries into the future. Merlin was by her side much of the time. Only leaving to 'make a call'. She wondered, at first, if that was how people in this century referred to certain bodily functions. It took the young physician's assistant, Cassie, to explain about the so-called telephones, which were similar to scrying bowls used by practitioners of the Old Religion to communicate over distances instantly.

Cassandra Fraiser was such a sweet girl, and it didn't take long for the queen to warm up to her. She was twenty-one years old, and spoke to Gwen about much of her life. They shared in the grief of having both lost their parents, although Cassie had lost three. Her adopted mother, Dr. Lam's predecessor, was killed on a far away battlefield. The girl had graduated something called High School early, and had attended nursing school...which to Gwen seemed like a type of apprenticeship before becoming a physician. She then took a job at the same place where her mother had worked. Although Cassie tried to make it clear, that she was a civilian, not part of the military.

Aurie had taken to her right away, which helped ease Gwen's anxiety; giving her time to herself, or to sit by her husband's side alone.

Gwaine would come to sit with her at times, but his life seemed very busy, always rushing off to something. She had laughed and joked that he was probably just hiding out in a tavern somewhere.

He had changed, almost more than Merlin in some ways. Though from the way they explained it, his time in this world was considerably less than Merlin's. Gwaine was still the same carefree roguish man, however he looked almost nothing like he used to, with the short hair and clean shaven face. The knight told her about his own journey, and Gwen couldn't say she was shocked to find out this is the place he was originally from.

His accent was slightly different, closer to the speech patterns of many others in this unnatural cave-like fortress; where the only sun she saw was through windows, not set in the walls...and the scenes would change continuously. One moment they showed day; the next, it was already night.

Cassie explained to her that what Gwen saw was akin to an artist's representation of the world outside. However, instead of just one painting, they were able to capture the world through something called a camera.

The young woman illustrated this by bringing in a small rectangular item one day, with one of the miniature windows on the back. She had Gwen hold Aurie and told her to say, "Cheese!" Though, the queen couldn't fathom why. A bright flash of lightning appeared suddenly and was gone. Cassie came back over and showed Gwen the screen.

Inside the small frame was a portrait of her holding her son. She giggled and clapped a hand over her mouth in amazement. A few days later Cassie brought in a larger version of the picture, in a simple black frame for Gwen to keep with her. The queen sat it on a table, next to the pod where her husband laid.

He appeared to be sleeping, except for the unnatural stillness. She wondered what he was going to think of this new world when he woke up. Arthur was never very good at accepting change. Merlin had relived those last few days of Arthur's life, describing to her the king's mindset. During the last few years of his reign, the king had been more open, but his father's legacy still kept him from truly making the kingdom his own.

She wiped away the tears. Aurie reached out and slapped his little hands against the glass over his father's face. "Dadada," he said. The queen had laughed when Gwaine, on one of his visits, held the boy over the pod and began to encourage him to say the syllables. He explained that was just one of the ways toddlers referred to their fathers in this time. Gwen rolled her eyes at first, then gasped in amazement when Aurie seemed to catch on. Now, it had become almost commonplace.

"What would your father think of you calling him that, my sweeting?" She drew a breath when the door opened. A woman named Martha came in, dressed as one of the physicians. Her accent was more familiar to Gwen than anyone else's in this place, save for Merlin's.

The warlock had introduced them the day before. Gwen could see the way his eyes softened when he looked at Martha. Even though he had not said out loud that anything was between them, it was obvious. The queen was thankful that her friend had found someone. She had always worried about him back in Camelot.

"We're just about ready." Martha informed the queen. She bent over and tickled Aurie. The boy giggled and stretched his arms towards her. Clicking her tongue, she frowned, "I'm sorry, little Prince. I can't hold you, just now. I have to keep my clothes clean so I can help your daddy, yeah?"

"Is this going to work?" Gwen couldn't keep the tremor from her voice.

Martha smiled encouragingly. The smile faltered when an alarm began to sound loudly through the Base. Red rotating lights along the walls flared to life, and Walter's voice came through the speakers.

"Unscheduled offworld activation." A few moments later, another message came. A few moments later, another message came, "Emergency medical personnel: report to the Gate Room. All available Offworld teams: please report to the briefing room for a potential search and rescue operation."

Gwen hugged Aurie tightly, "What's happening?"

"I don't know. I'll go find out." She squeezed Gwen's shoulder, before darting out into the hallway.

A few heartwrenching minutes later, Martha returned with Merlin following her. The warlock appeared mad, and the woman was trying to calm him down.

"What is it?" Gwen demanded.

Merlin opened his mouth, but Martha shot down whatever he was going to say, with one look. He threw up his hands in defeat.

"There was skirmish of some sort. Dr. Lam is moving a critical patient into the Operating Room. I'm so sorry, Arthur's surgery has been put on hold for the time being." Martha explained, "It wasn't anything that could be avoided." She wrapped her arms around the queen.

Gwaine rushed in, out of breath. "My Lady...I..."

"Martha explained. I understand." She chuckled sourly. "I assisted Gaius on many occasions. Those wounded in battle take precedence."

He turned to Merlin. He turned to Merlin. "Colonel Mitchell is the one who's missing, so it's going to be hell around here until he's found. Listen, the boys are with their dad this weekend, and Pops has a lady friend he's visiting back in Wyoming. I already cleared it with General Landry for you guys to go out to my place for a day or two."

Merlin nodded. He was upset about the delay, but he couldn't argue with Gwen's logic. "...And your sister?"

Gwaine waved him off. "She'll be fine with it...I think." Someone out in the hallway called to the major. He looked out and gave a thumbs up. "I gotta go...sorry."

Sighing, Merlin slumped down in a chair next to Gwen. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Gwen...I..." his voice was choked.

"It's fine. I think I could use a break from this place before it happens anyway. I'm feeling a bit claustrophobic in here."

"Then I say we go gather a few things, blow this joint, and give Laney a call when we're on our way." Martha smiled brightly and reached for Aurie, who was beginning to squirm in his mother's lap, upset by all the sounds and tension.

Gwen simply nodded. Her heart was pounding too hard, with each wail of the klaxons to question the modern vernacular of Martha's statement.

* * *

 

Little did Merlin realize, the most difficult part of getting Gwen and her son out of the Base would be finding a car seat for the baby. He grumbled and cursed. Gwen couldn't help herself, and she began to giggle. She didn't understand what he was ranting about, but his harried state reminded her so much of when he was younger, and trying desperately to placate Arthur's whims. Martha had a much cooler head on her shoulders, and wandered off to find the item.

When Martha returned, she and Merlin began bickering about how to attach it to the backseat of the large orange metal carriage. Gwen had spoken to Percival a few times over the phone in the past two weeks, and he had explained to her about the modern transportation. She was apprehensive about it initially, but her fears eased watching Merlin and Martha. "You two sound like an old married couple."

Martha rolled her eyes. "Well, we are married, and this one is old enough for the both of us..."

"HEY!" Merlin protested.

"Really, Merlin?" Gwen scowled at the warlock. "You neglected to tell me that."

His blue eyes widened. He opened and closed his mouth, attempting to say something, but no words came to him. Until Martha smacked him in the shoulder. "OW!"

"Just slipped your mind, did it?"

"In my defense, I was focused on other things. Thank you very much."

"You are so lucky that you are cute, or I might have found myself a younger man by now...instead of an old forgetful one."

"Martha..." He whined.

Gwen laughed until her eyes filled with tears. Although they had yet to leave the parking lot of the SGC, it felt good to be out of the mountain and feeling the sunshine on her skin. The queen might not have her king at her side yet, but the prospect of being somewhere less depressing and stifling was literally a breath of fresh air.

* * *

 

Aurie adapted to the ride in the car much better than his mother did. Within a few minutes of being on the road, he was sound asleep in the special seat that had caused so much turmoil for Merlin. Gwen felt her stomach twist with the turns in the road. For most of the drive she kept her eyes closed, and allowed the motion to soothe her. If she opened them, the world she saw overwhelmed her, but the sounds alone, while loud, acted like an odd sort of lullaby.

She forced her eyes open when the smooth ground gave way. Merlin had turned on a dirt road that seemed much more natural than the black topped version, with the odd yellow and white stripes. Up ahead was a manor house, sitting near a barn larger than she had ever seen. The style was foreign, but something about the estate felt welcoming and comfortable.

A woman stood on the steps outside the front door, smiling as Merlin pulled up. Gwen could instantly see the resemblance to Gwaine, and assumed this was his sister. Martha climbed out and the two women embraced warmly.

"Alright, let's get a look at this little squirt my brother's been raving about." She smiled and climbed into the Scout. "Hi, I'm Laney. Welcome to my home, Majesty...Ma'am...My Lady..." Elaine said, unsure of what greeting to use.

The queen smiled, "Gwen, is fine."

"Good. I'm not a fan of proper protocols and all that nonsense. My mother was...but that's a different story." Laney skillfully unbuckled the sleeping child from the seat, and with practiced ease lifted him out. Aurie barely stirred as she climbed out.

Once Gwen was on the ground, she took her son back. "Thank you."

"Come on, I've got a warm home-cooked meal waiting."

* * *

 

Gwen woke up and stretched. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt such a comfortable bed underneath her. Certainly her bed in Camelot was nice, but there was nothing to compare to the pillowtop mattress in Gwaine's room that she woke up on. Aurie was still sound asleep next to her.

Elaine, at first, started to panic about not having a crib or any guardrails for the bed, but Merlin had put all three women at ease, by casting a spell to make certain the little guy didn't fall off during the night. She eyed Merlin warily, until Aurie attempted to crawl off the bed. Initially she gasped in fright. It soon turned to laughter, however, when it was obvious the boy wasn't going anywhere.

She felt like an intruder, as she looked around the room, but her curiosity about who the knight truly was, got the better of her. There were only a few personal items scattered around the space: a few miniatures of vehicles, like the orange one Merlin had driven the day before; one of the picture window boxes, although it currently was blank; and a few pictures were scattered on a shelf.

Gwen looked over each one first was of a young boy of perhaps four, a girl who was a few years older, and two adults...the man wore clothing similar to what she had seen Gwaine wear. She guessed it must have been a picture of the knight, Elaine, and their parents. A blue cloth with embroidered white stars sat in a triangular case next to the picture. Gwen wondered about the significance, as she could see a flag in the background of the picture, unfurled on a pole and bearing the same pattern in the top corner, as well as having seen a similar pattern around the Base.

There were a few more of Gwaine, his sister, and the woman who seemed to be their mother...at least until Gwaine was around ten. After that, most of the pictures consisted of a teenage boy and his friends. She saw one, who she guessed was Gwaine, not long before the time when he must have arrived in the lands around Camelot. He was standing with a few other young men, including the one he called Mitchell, from the Base.

In the background was the orange vehicle, coated completely in mud, and the men standing around or leaning against it, were just as filthy. Nearly every one of them showed off a bare torso, and were in some odd pose that was meant to highlight their tight muscular bodies, covered in sweat and grime.

She felt a flutter in her stomach and turned away, blushing at their indecently exposed bodies. It wasn't that she felt anything for any of the men in the picture, but she could almost imagine Arthur, especially in his younger days, joining them. The thought of her husband topless amongst the other handsome men, or even the memory of him alone, in the privacy of their rooms, made her chest tighten.

Soon...she promised herself. Soon, he would be back in her arms.

* * *

 

Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him towards her. He, in turn, embraced her around her back, gently pushing her against the counter. Their lips pressed together and the rest of the world, faded away around them.

A polite, but still somewhat reprimanding, sound finally made them part. "Ahem."

Merlin broke the kiss with his wife and turned, smiling at the queen who stood in the doorway. "Morning, Gwen!" He said in a chipper tone, showing no signs of embarrassment from being caught.

"Good morning, Merlin. Martha." She addressed them with a mild smirk.

"Care for a cuppa?" Martha asked, wiggling out of the embrace. She chuckled when she was met with a confused stare from the former queen. "Something to drink, this morning?"

"That would be wonderful, thank you." She smiled and came fully into the kitchen. She managed to still look elegant as she sat at the table in her borrowed sweat pants and shirt.

"Did you sleep well?" Merlin asked.

"Better than I have in a very long time. I just wish..." she started wistfully, and sighed, "...I just wish Arthur was with us. I think Sir Gwaine may just have to use the floor when he returns, when Arthur is saved and tries it for himself. You would likely have to drag him out of it, kicking and screaming."

"I'll get him an alarm clock. I haven't spent the last fifteen hundred years waiting, just to be his whipping boy again."

"Oh, sure you have...Grandpa Merlin." Elaine's voice cackled from the exterior door. Gwaine's sister entered carrying a basket of eggs.

"Hey, I'm your ancestor, you better be nice to me." Merlin scowled playfully, at his many times over great-granddaughter.

"Ancestor? Is that another thing you forgot to mention?" Martha questioned.

Merlin rubbed at his neck and refused to make eye contact. "Um...yes?"

"Is that a question or a statement, Merlin?" Gwen asked in a regal voice, as if she were questioning a courtier.

"Both?" He turned to fill his coffee cup, feeling the weight of three sets of eyes on him, as they waited for him to continue. "So...Gwaine and I discovered, that he and Laney are descendants of myself and my first wife...Mithian."

Gwen let out a very unladylike sound of surprise. "Truly? Princess Mithian of Nemeth?" At Merlin's nod, she pressed on. "I always wondered if she fancied you. I think I even mentioned it to Arthur, and do you know what his response was?"

Merlin shook his head.

"Why would anyone fancy Merlin?" She mimicked, even contorting her mouth in an attempt to recreate Arthur's sneer.

The warlock rolled his eyes, trying to hide any embarrassment.

"Of course, then I had to inform my husband of all the young women in the castle who, at some point, fancied you."

"That was probably a very short list." He grumbled while sipping his coffee.

"You really were that blind?" Gwen asked. She shook her head in amazement. "Of course, I shouldn't be too surprised. You didn't even know I was besotted by you...even after I kissed you."

His eyes widened, "When did you kiss me?"

A morning of storytelling began. Merlin happily excused himself to get Aurie, when they heard him begin to fuss. He arrived back in the kitchen to see the women cleaning up, and looking as if they were getting ready to leave. "What's all this?"

"Well," Martha began, giving her husband a kiss and tickling the little boy in his arms. "We decided to leave the two of you here for the day and take Gwen shopping!"

"You're what?" He glanced at Aurie and then back at the three women.

"You'll be fine! Gwen needs some girl time, after all she's been through." Martha told him. She put a little bit of a pout into her bottom lip and gave him a forlorn look...she knew her husband would be unable to resist.

* * *

 

He watched the three women drive away in Elaine's car. They had promised to be home by dinner. He felt a heavy amount of trepidation at the thought of the three of them, telling stories of his past. Sighing, he turned to the little boy. "Guess it's just us today. I hope you don't start acting like your father, otherwise it's going to be a very long one."

Aurie's face took on a worried look, just before the little boy began to wail.

* * *

__


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven:**

* * *

 

The weekend had been filled with so many new experiences. Laney had taken the wheel of her car, much smaller and smoother than Gwaine's vehicle, however, somehow the large and loud thing seemed to suit the knight. She drove the three of them to a place called Castle Rock. A large flat-topped mountain rose on the horizon, and from a distance it almost did resemble a castle. A very intriguing market called an outlet mall, had shops set up like an outdoor market place.

The two women took her from shop to shop, trying on clothing that fit without being tailored. They drank and ate things she never imagined...such as chocolate ice cream. Gwen couldn't wait to let her son try it...She felt a bit melancholy that Arthur wasn't able to experience these things with questioned the rectangular cards that Martha pulled out of her small bag, to exchange for the items. Martha did her best to try and explain the credit cards, but Gwen appeared even more lost about it.

"Hell, I grew up with them...and now I don't even know what the frack they are...after that explanation!" Laney said, with a laugh.

They found baby clothing in another store, along with items that made Gwen squeal in delight, when she found out what they were. A stroller was among the things that made her giddy. The comfortable seat and the wheels...which meant she wouldn't have to carry her son everywhere...it was one of the most miraculous things she could have dreamt of.

Everything was so new and different, but in the company of her new friends, who didn't seem to care that she was once a servant or a queen, it was a wonderful experience. Another store had Gwen blushing like she never had before in her life...undergarments that consisted of nothing but strings and lace were blatantly put on display in a large window.

The best part, Gwen decided, was the pampering. She couldn't stop looking at her feet, softer than they had ever been, with bright pink painted on the toes. Her hands felt amazing and sported a matching color on the nails. Most of all, she was enjoying her hair. Reluctant at first, because she was unsure of what Arthur would say, when he sees her looking so different. Gwen finally agreed to have it cut to a length just below her shoulders. As she ran her decorated fingertips through it, she marvelled at the way it bounced and moved; almost like a very expensive silk from exotic lands. It still curled naturally around her face, and she loved it.

Merlin, it seemed, was perfectly fine with Aurie, while they were away. The girls returned back late in the evening, to find the toddler crawling around the floor and chasing small bubbles of rainbow-colored lights; giggling profusely, when he would catch one and pop it. The warlock came out of the kitchen...and stopped short at the sight of Gwen. She wore a peasant style blouse and faded, form-fitting jeans that showed off shapely legs and ended at sparkling, silver, strappy sandals.

"Arthur's going to think he really had died and gone to Avalon, when he gets a look at you."

The following day was spent relaxing. Merlin and Gwen took advantage of the couple of horses owned by the family, and enjoyed a quiet ride around the forty acre ranch.

Gwen fidgeted in her seat and picked absentmindedly at the horse's mane. "I don't know what I'm going to say to him." She confided to Merlin.

"He probably won't be able to really comprehend what's happened, according to Martha; at least for a couple of days, while he's being given painkillers and sedatives."

"Laney told me, she was going to take some time off work to watch Aurie for me...so I don't have to worry about him while Arthur is in surgery."

Merlin smiled, "I think that's probably a good idea. Remember, Arthur doesn't even know about him yet. He doesn't know about any of this." He waved his hands, indicating the larger picture. "His last moments...he watched me kill his sister, and then..."

They rode on in silence, breathing in the warm dry air.

"I have to say," Merlin said, "you are handling the change much better than Percival. Certainly better than I feared."

"What choice do I have, Merlin? I can wallow in self-pity, or allow myself to be overwhelmed, but it won't change a thing. If this is the world my son will grow up in, I have to adjust." She sighed, "I know I shouldn't think this way, or say such things...I don't want to appear apathetic about what befell Camelot, but I rather like not being responsible for a kingdom. Is that callous of me? I mean, what would Arthur say?"

The countryside was beautiful. Rolling hills of dry grassland laid spread out before them. To the west, they could see the blue and white mountains in the distance, like a picture painted against the sky. They stood majestically...a bit surreal.

"I don't know what he's going to say...about anything. It has me a bit worried. Honestly, you would be a better judge of his mindset than I would, with the time weirdness and such. Is he going to yell and throw a tantrum; accusing me of letting Camelot fall and not saving him? Is he even going to remember I have magic? Will he accept it all and be happy, just to be alive?"

Gwen patted the neck of the dappled roan mare beneath her, and allowed Merlin to vent his worries.

"I don't know, Gwen. I really don't know how to proceed right now. There were no signs that we would all be gathered here...that Lancelot had become an Ascended being, watching over us. I was told Arthur would return someday, and for a long while, I kept preparing for it. I kept looking for signs, but after a time...I couldn't anymore."

He inhaled deeply, and let the soft smell of sage, from the blooming rabbitbrush, calm him. "Mithian used to get so mad at me. At first, she helped with researching the books and ancient scrolls; searching for even the tiniest of clues. Then, when she gave birth to our first child...a daughter...it finally got through to me, that I couldn't live my life lamenting about what might, or might not come.

"The hardest day, I think, was when our youngest, a son we named Gawain...don't tell Gwaine I named a child after him, I'd never hear the end of it. He is already enjoying being his own namesake far too much, as it is." He said, as a side note. "...but Gawain was just named as a squire to Mithian's brother, when someone made a comment about how I hadn't changed...not even a gray hair on my head."

Gwen chewed her bottom lip in worry. "That's when you realized...?"

Merlin nodded, "I don't think it really set in until later. I came up behind Mithian, as she was looking into a mirror. We both knew, in that moment, that Arthur's prophesied return would not be in the course of a normal lifetime.I feared what it meant to be alone; just myself with no one else who knew him. Not a soul alive, but me, who would understand how great of a king he was, or could have been."

"...But now it has come, and you are not alone. You said Lancelot is watching over us?" She waited for him to nod, "and by an amazing twist of destiny, Gwaine and Percival are here...as am I. We were the closest to him. We know, like you, the type of man he was...and will be again."

"Yeah," he reluctantly agreed. He snorted, "Just wait until you meet Mickey Smith. Gwaine and Percival are both convinced he's your brother, reborn."

Gwen's eyes widened, a giggle bubbled up from inside her. "Does he have memories or anything then?"

"No, he doesn't even really look like him...I don't think...except for the darker skin, like you. It's more just some of the mannerisms and being gullible enough to fall for Gwaine's pranks, when he came over there for my and Martha's wedding."

* * *

 

Gwen hardly moved. Her eyes were glued to the scene below her. Many had attempted to persuade her out of being in the observation room, above the operating theater during the surgery, but she refused to budge. She was from a place and age that was much harsher than this. Martha tried to express that it was different when the patient was a loved one, but Gwen wouldn't hear of it.

Merlin stood just as still, leaning against a wall near the same windows. He was preparing for anything, and it had already been a long morning. Aurie was out at Gwaine's place with his sister, even though the former knight was still on an alien planet, searching for his friend. There was no word when he would return.

_Merlin and Gwen had been in the room when the pod was opened; clinging tightly to one another in the background, while Martha worked with Dr. Lam and the others to release the king._

_Lam counted down as a group gathered around the edges, ready to lift the lid. The hissing sound of the seal cracking was quickly followed by a flurry of action._

_The lid moved off to the side. The lid was moved off to the side. Others stepped in and lifted the king out, placing him on a strategically placed gurney. Someone rushed forward, attaching monitors to the king's head. Another held bolt cutters at the ready._

_Merlin sucked in a breath and released Gwen. He hastily made his way to the king. His magic might not work on the wound, but he could certainly do something about the restricting chainmail, now that Arthur was out of the pod. Martha stepped back, giving him room, while the others looked confused._

_A few soft words, with his hand on the king's chest, and his eyes glowed softly from under his lids. The armor disappeared off the body and reappeared on a table nearby. He shrugged off Dr. Lam's shocked look. "He'd kill me if anything happened to his armor."_

_"Works for me!" She replied, happily moving forward to cut off the rest of the clothing, as the operating team worked to stabilise Arthur's nearly non-existent vital signs. The heart monitor beeped out an extremely slow rhythm, but it was still there. Lam and the others took a moment to breathe._

_The first part was over._

_Gwen timidly moved to her husband's side, attempting to stay out of the way of all the people, as they recorded information and checked placements of their equipment. "May I have a moment with him, before you take him?" She asked, with a sudden surge of bravery, that her husband would have been proud of. Her head was held high, and all in the room could see the change from a young woman, outside of her own place and time, to the queen who dwelt inside._

_Carolynne Lam looked over the readouts from the monitors. She seemed hesitant._

_Martha spoke up. "I'll stay in here, and keep an eye on his vitals."_

_Nodding, Lam motioned the others out of the room. "Two minutes, no more."_

_Merlin and Gwen were left in peace next to the body of their king. Martha quietly wandered around, checking over the data given off by the machines._

_Delicate fingers smoothed over the king's blond hair. Gwen was trembling, unable to will her body to be as strong as she wished. For the first time since the eve of the Battle of Camlann, she was touching her husband. Her emotions tumbled over the edge. She pressed her brow to his, cupping his face in her hands. Tears flowed freely._

_The strain in Merlin's eyes was apparent, but he held himself back. His mind was reliving the last moments of his king's life._

_Gwen kissed the cool lips of her beloved; stroking his cheek in a tender caress._

_Eyelashes fluttered._

_"Arthur...Oh my god...Arthur?" Gwen's voice was frantic, as she realized her husband was trying to wake up._

_Cloudy blue eyes opened briefly against heavy lids. A hint of a smile...and then all hell broke loose._

_His eyes rolled back in his head. The monitors began beeping loudly, alarms sounding from each and everyone of them._

_Martha sprung into action, pressing an emergency button on the wall and running to the ancient king. "He's crashing!" She yelled, as Lam and the others hurried back into the room._

_"Let's get him intubated!" Lam called out._

_Merlin startled, awakening from the memories that played through his mind. He grabbed Gwen's shoulders and pulled her out of the way. He held her upright, when her knees buckled, although he was having a difficult time keeping himself standing._

Three long hours later and they hadn't spoken a word. Neither knew what to say, as they watched the team of doctors and nurses work diligently to save Arthur.

Martha utilised a laser saw, a piece of technology she had borrowed from Torchwood, to create an incision in the king's chest; but it was only good for the soft tissue to keep bleeding at bay. Lam's team opened up the rib cage, and followed the lines of the internal wound.

Martha used the laser saw to cauterize as they went. Finally, in a flurry of hands and tools, Lam reached into the open chest cavity.

Merlin stood up straighter. Gwen held her breath and sat forward. This was the moment...they could both feel it.

From their vantage point, they couldn't see what happened when Lam turned away from them, and towards one of her assistants. Lam shared a look with Martha. The masked faces gave no hint of emotion, but when Martha looked up to the observation room, Merlin could see the affirmation in her eyes.

Gwen saw it as well, and let out a cry of relief. Merlin moved to his queen and wrapped his arms around her. They held each other tightly. The sword piece had been removed. Merlin sniffled, his eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. He cleared his throat. "I'm going to go see if my magic can help them."

Gwen nodded and smiled through her tears.

* * *

 

Merlin entered the operating theater, staying well out of the way of the activity. "Can I help?"

Dr. Lam glanced at him. She nodded, "Mask up and at least put on gloves. We don't need an infection to set in, while he's in such a delicate state."

An orderly moved over to Merlin and assisted in putting on a long green smock over Merlin's arms, then helped him with gloves and a face mask. Merlin chuckled silently over the precautions. He stepped up to the operating table and with confidence, he put his hands over the wounds, and cast his spell...

Nothing happened...at least from where he was standing.

"Dr. Lam!" One of the techs called out, and pointed to a screen that showed a magnified version of the area they were working on. The flesh around the heart started to mend, but then tore apart again, almost as fast.

"It looks like it's trying to heal, but something is having an adverse reaction within the damaged tissue.." As they watched the screen, the damage to the heart visibly began to increase. Lam urged Merlin to move away, using her elbow. "Sorry, Colonel Emrys, you need to back away. Dr. Jones, can you use your tool again? If we don't stop the reaction, we could lose him."

Merlin stepped back, stunned. His eyes were still glued to the screen, as Martha brought in the laser saw and began cauterizing the wound directly on the heart, while Lam held the pieces together.

"Someone go see if Colonel Carter is around...and bring in the Goa'uld hand device! I'm not going to lose this man now!" Lam called out in an authoritative voice.

He felt like he was in a thick fog. Unknown hands pulled him back towards the door, and out of the mad rush.

A blond woman ran hastily into the room, and pushed her way past the others. A circular device in the palm of her hand lit up. The beam of light coming off of it was focused on the wounded heart muscle.

Merlin held his breath. His eyes shifted between the magnified image on the screen and the king's body. Whatever the device was...it appeared to be working. A collective sigh of relief spread through the room.

The woman, Carter, wavered slightly. It was obvious that she had put a good amount of effort into that small burst, to repair the heart.

Merlin vaguely recognized her. Around the Base, she was often seen in the company of General Landry, or Gwaine's friend Cameron and his team. On one occasion, Merlin had come out of the nearby Gentlemen's facilities, to find the former knight smiling and flirting with her.

Colonel Carter stepped back from the operating table. Her eyes moved to the screen. "Can I have some of the tissue samples sent to my lab?" She asked, taking extra care not to touch anything in the room. Something in her voice, broke Merlin out of his daze. The way she asked the question, gave him pause to wonder if she recognized what had happened inside the body of the king.

Carter turned to leave. She offered him a smile of polite encouragement. "The worst is behind him. I'm sure he'll be able to pull through."

He nodded and allowed her to lead him out into the hallway. Out of sight of the king and all the surgeons, he tore off the surgical scrubs and tossed them in a nearby bin, designated for the soiled attire. He looked down at his hands and wondered why his magic didn't work on Arthur, once again.

A man in full combat gear came jogging through the hallway towards them. Taking off his helmet, Merlin recognized Gwaine and breathed a sigh.

"I just got called back," he huffed, attempting to catch his breath. "Is he alright?"

Merlin nodded and pointed at the woman. "She saved him...I couldn't." He turned and walked away. His head hung in self-doubt, as he climbed the stairs to the observation room.

Gwaine's eyebrows furrowed, "What happened?"

"I'm not certain. I was called in just a few moments ago to use the Goa'uld hand device. He's stable now...but not out of the woods, it seems. When your friend tried to use his abilities to heal him, there was a weird reaction. It almost appeared, as if whatever traces of the shrapnel were left, were having a very specific, adverse reaction against him directly. Like magnets with the same pole turned towards each other. It repelled the flesh instead of joining it."

Gwaine nodded his understanding. He licked his lips as a thought began to form in his mind. Lately, some of the nightmares had returned, although he didn't tell anyone about them. The white dragon, swooped down over them during the final battle. As he watched, the old man on the cliff was shouting foreign words to it, and it spun away...as if...

"Any word on Cameron?"

Her words broke him out of the daydream. He shook his head tiredly. "I was just rotated out, to shower and catch some sleep. We've covered about as much ground as we're going to be able to on foot, and nothing is showing up from the UAVs." The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles were the best thing to employ on short notice for an aerial search. Equipped with infrared sensors and cameras, among other things, it usually made short work of the search and recovery missions. However, even with the current technology, there was no sign of civilization on the planet's surface.

The man, a Sodan warrior, who was the patient in the priority surgery a few days prior, was recovering, but had yet to say anything of value to help the SGC locate their missing Colonel. For the time being, Mitchell was assumed to be a prisoner, though the Sodan claimed he was more than likely dead.

"I'm going to go make sure Merlin is alright."

* * *

 

After checking on his friends, Gwaine headed to the locker room. Merlin had been slumped against a far wall, off in his own world. Gwen's eyes darted back and forth between Merlin and Arthur's prone form in the room below.

Gwaine explained to her that, while the magic didn't seem to work, a piece of alien technology did. Arthur's heart was repaired, and the doctors were in the process of putting the rest of him back together, using more mundane means. They both knew, without Merlin's special abilities, it was going to be a long road to recovery for the king, but Gwen was more than grateful that the worst was over.

His gear was stowed away and he sat on a bench, between the rows of lockers. He held his head in his hands, fighting against a headache. He knew it was a combination of lack of sleep from the nightmares, and the heightened stress of having two of his friends facing different forms of danger. Arthur, it appeared, would recover. Cameron, however, was still missing. He stood and grabbed his cellphone.

Making his way to one of the upper levels, where he could get cell service, he then rang Percival.

A brief 'hello' was exchanged, before Gwaine filled his friend in on the situation.

"Do you remember that ugly little dragon-thing Morgana had at Camlann?" Gwaine asked.

"Barely. We were on that hidden path fighting. I saw it breath fire on the main battle, but then something seemed to scare it away." Percival said, curious about what Gwaine was getting at.

"Merlin was the old man on the ridge who ordered it away."

"He was the old man?...I'm going to kill him."

Gwaine chuckled, remembering his first reaction at finding out that Merlin was Dragoon. "Yeah, you and me both. Anyway...I had a dream the other night about it." He began to explain his half-baked theory.

"Have you spoken with Merlin about this?"

"Not yet, he's in a bit of a state right now. I think until Arthur wakes up, he's not going to be in much of a mood for talking. Also, each time that creature is brought up, he shies away from the conversation."

Percival made a sound of agreement. "I noticed that, as well."

"I don't know..." Gwaine started to feel a thread of doubt. "...maybe I'm just reaching for an explanation."

"I'll ask Jack this afternoon, when I go into work...See if he knows anything about it. He hasn't been around as long as Merlin...but maybe he has some sort of idea."

"What do you mean?"

"Um...well, it's a long story. I'll see if I can find out anything. Let me know if anything changes for Arthur."

"Will do, my friend. Will do."

* * *

__


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Eight:**

* * *

 

The visions; the flashes; the life outside of him...swept past. Awake and asleep; darkness and dreams.

_"You've brought peace at last...With all your magic, Merlin, and you can't save my life...There's something I want to say..."_

_"You're not going to say goodbye." His companion, his best friend, had said._

_"No, Merlin. Everything you've done. I know now...for me, for Camelot...for the kingdom you helped me build..." He could barely get the words out. His lungs were on fire...his throat threatening to close on him._

_"You'd have done it without me." Ever humble, even with the knowledge the king now possessed._

_Struggling for the last breath, he croaked out. "Maybe. I want to say...something...I've never...said to you before: Thank you."_

_The mist began to shroud his mind. He heard his friend in the background. Merlin's voice sounded frantic, before the darkness engulfed him. "Arthur...No! Arthur! Arthur! Arthur. Come on. Arthur!"_

He blinked, trying to clear the haze from his mind.

"A sword in a stone." One man stated, sounding somewhat surprised. His accent was strange, as were his clothes.

The king scoffed silently...He looked, and saw what the man did. The sword was not what he expected. It was a shining silver color with a black wrapping on the hilt. There were no runes...nothing in the rather unwieldy style, that suggested it was anything out of the ordinary...completely unlike the sword he had pulled from the stone, years before. The block of stone was rather unimpressive, too.

The woman had a different accent. "What's that supposed to mean?"

A second man spoke up. "Well, King Arthur once pulled a sword from a stone as proof of his righteousness and royalty."

'Righteousness?' He thought to himself. At least the royalty part was correct. Although, he had already known of his lineage when it happened. The man wearing the glasses made it sound as if it had been a surprise when it happened.

The first man spoke again. "Excalibur."

Arthur would have laughed, had he been able to. The sword before them looked nothing like it!

'Glasses' was speaking, in a condescending tone. "Actually, that's a common misconception. See, Excalibur was forged by the Lady of the Lake at Avalon, but it wasn't given to King Arthur until after the sword he pulled from the stone broke in battle."

He laughed inside the confines of his mind. "'Lady of the Lake?' Are you some sort of idiot? Have you been in the tavern with Merlin?" Arthur tried to move, but couldn't. "MY Sword didn't break!"

He watched as the foreigners attempted to pull the sword from the stone.

Suddenly, another man appeared, as if by magic. Bathed in a white light, he was dressed in long, glowing robes and held a staff. The white beard reminded the king of Merlin's disguise.

"Welcome, ye Knights of the Round Table. Men of honor. Followers of the path of Righteousness. Only those with wealth of knowledge and truth of spirit, shall be given access to the underworld. The storehouse of riches of Ambrosius Aurelianus. Prove ye worthy, and all shall be revealed." The ghost-like sorcerer said.

Arthur's eyes widened, wondering what type of game was being played. The people in the room were most certainly NOT his knights.

"That's incredible." Glasses said, in an awestruck voice. "Certain scholars have speculated that Ambrosius and Arthur were one and the same, but that would have made him 74 years old at the Battle of Mount Badon. It's actually quite fascinating. See, Ambrosius was the son of the Emperor Constantine…"

"Mount Badon? Ambrosius? What are you babbling about?!" He felt his lips curl into a snarl. The first actual movement, aside from his mental ranting. Momentarily stunned, he missed the next parts of the conversation.

Another man, as large as Percival, but darker skinned, and sporting a gold symbol on his brow, spoke up. "Perhaps there is something in these tunnels."

The first man, possibly the leader, seemed pleased. "See, that is why he's here. Genius. We're going to split up. I'm with Teal'c. Yo! Wait up." He ran off after the large man, back into the fog.

Glasses and the woman soon moved away, too. The king was left alone, staring at a sword he couldn't touch.

_An elderly woman was lying on the ground, between him and the stone._

_"Thank you," she said. Her voice was weak and feeble. "My time has come. When you have lived as long as I, you no longer fear the journey to the next world. I have a gift for you. You showed kindness, and compassion. Those are the qualities of a true king..."_

_Uther suddenly appeared before him. "How can I be proud of a son who ignores everything that I taught him?... Who is destroying my legacy?"_

He was then thrust into a familiar clearing. The stone and sword in front of him morphed in a more familiar sight. He could hear Merlin speaking to him in the background.

_"You have to believe, Arthur...You're destined to be Albion's greatest king...Nothing, not even this stone, can stand in your way."_

_With the last words, Arthur felt himself able to move, but his body was stiff and didn't appear to be at his full command. He gripped the hilt with one hand...closed his eyes..._

_"Have faith." Came Merlin's whisper from behind him._

_He heard another voice...the man who attempted to pull out the sword earlier. "All right, we passed the tests. So this should work."_

_At the same moment, Arthur closed his eyes and freed his own sword from the stone, just as he had done in the clearing. He held it up, and realized he could feel the physical weight of the blade, although it looked nothing like his beautifully crafted blade._

His vision narrowed, as if a helm with a very small slit in the visor was placed on his head. The king's body was weak, especially under the weight of the armor he now wore. A full plate mail suit, something he only wore when jousting, appeared upon him.

He turned to the man who held the imposter sword. Arthur felt the need to fight. He wasn't sure why, but he wasted no time to ponder on it. The king could barely see through the visor, but he raised his weapon.

"Should've known it wouldn't be that easy." The man in the dark green and black uniform muttered.

They began trading blows. Arthur skillfully gained the upper hand. The others were too busy chattering to make the fight worthwhile. The king saw little use in putting his full effort behind his swings.

The largest man in the group raised his weapon. Other than a loud noise, nothing happened. Even they appeared shocked.

"It appears to be a hologram." The dark man stated plainly.

Arthur's opponent was distracted. He turned to his companion, leaning on the sword. "A hologram?"

The king took the opportunity to strike. His sword went through the other man, causing a magical green light, but didn't appear to actually cut the man.

Arthur stepped back, it would only be fair to let the man have another go. "You need a lesson in swordplay," he told the man, but the words fell on deaf ears.

A few more strikes and the large man called out. "Colonel Mitchell, the sword."

"What the hell is this!" Arthur yelled. He realized, once again, that they were unable to hear him. The sword passed right through the large man, as if one, or both, weren't real. Arthur swung again, this time in anger that these others were employing unfair tactics. They had no honor...no knowledge of the rules of engagement in a duel.

The man...Mitchell...rolled, narrowly avoiding Arthur's strike. He came up with the sword in his hand, and Arthur managed to knock him off his feet. His jaw was set with determination. He stepped back and readied his stance. One more chance...that was all he was willing to give to this idiot in front of him.

Mitchell pushed his friend off and came back swinging. Arthur cursed the restrictive plate armor. He was beginning to feel weak under its weight.

Somehow, despite his lack of skill, Mitchell gained the upper hand. Arthur's body was giving out. It refused to respond to his commands.

"You gave me no choice..." Mordred's voice echoed through his head.

Arthur felt the searing pain of his opponent's blade cutting through him. His heart burned and the cavern, with the people and the imitation sword, melted away.

He couldn't move again. He felt immense pain in his chest. Forcing his eyes open, he saw her; the love he had left, just hours before. She looked older, as if the weight of the crown had taken its toll on her. Was it hours? Was it days?...Weeks, months, years? Merlin had carried him away from her. His mind screamed her name, but she slept on inside the odd coffin...

"GUINEVERE!"

_"Arthur...Oh my god...Arthur?"_

_He could hear the panic in her voice. His eyes opened again, even though he couldn't recall closing them._

_She was there...and so was the pain. His chest burned as if a dragon dwelt inside._

_...And then there was nothing._

* * *

****


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Nine:**

* * *

"I've received the initial pathology report, on the metal and surrounding tissue." Carolyn Lam stated, once everyone had sat down in the briefing room. She looked around the familiar space at the people gathered. They were few, but each held a stake in what she was presenting. Her father, General Landry, was seated at the head of the table. He was intrigued by not only the rebirth, so to speak, of the ancient king, but also in the abilities of the self-proclaimed 'warlock', as a future military strategy against their enemies.

On one side of the table sat Queen Guinevere. She looked completely at home in her modern attire, as she awaited news about her husband. Her demeanor was that of a very professional and outspoken woman, even though glimpses of her humble beginnings still came through.

Lam recalled the look on Dr. Jackson's face when he found out that the mythical queen wasn't born a noble, but a blacksmith's daughter instead. If it wasn't for his obsession in trying to locate Cameron Mitchell, Lam was certain she would have had to ban the archaeologist from the infirmary. Once he got over his initial bout of disbelief, he had begun to show serious interest in trying to put together the pieces concerning who these people were, and why they would show up at this time.

Next to the queen, sat Merlin. His ancient gaze seemed to miss nothing that passed. When he first appeared in the observation room, he was definitely not what she had been expecting; after Major Dallon's proclamation that Colonel Merl Emrys of UNIT, was the mythical sorcerer. He seemed to give a quiet strength to the queen, and they certainly fit the roles of a royal and her chief adviser.

Across from them, sat Martha. Her eyes were on the open folder in front of her, reading the preliminary observations Lam was currently describing. Despite knowing that Merlin and Dr. Jones were married, they conducted themselves with near flawless professionalism around the Base. Every once in awhile, a hint of their relationship would peek through. It was a simple word here, or a brief touch there, when they thought no one was looking.

Gwaine was seated next to Martha, with his own copy of the folder opened in front of him. The manpower for the search had been scaled back, due to pressure from the IOA and the Pentagon. No one on the Base was giving up on Cameron Mitchell, but there were other matters that needed to be addressed as well, including the increasing presence of the Ori Priors in the galaxy.

General Landry folded his hands together and leaned forward on the table in the briefing room. He nodded his acknowledgement and motioned for Dr. Lam to proceed.

"The shrapnel has a radioactive signature, unlike anything we have encountered before. We haven't been able to determine yet, why it moved and sought out the heart of the patient, but there seems to be some type of intelligence at work within it...almost like a type of highly evolved bacteria."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Not as far as we've been able to determine. When Colonel Carter returns, she is going to work with Dr. Lee on a more thorough analysis of the findings." She stated plainly, before continuing, "As the metal traveled through the patient's body, it left a trail of the radiation in its wake. Now that it has been removed, the radiation is fading."

"Was that what reacted to my magic?" Merlin's face was carefully measured, as he asked the question. Over the past weeks, and more so after his failed attempt to heal Arthur a few days ago, Lam and others, had become rather curious about it. He had admitted to Martha, his unease of the scrutiny, but he allowed none of his trepidation to show.

"Possibly. What I really need, is a sample of your blood to run some tests."

Merlin sighed, "I already told you. Dr. Jones has been studying my blood for some time, and has found absolutely nothing out of the ordinary."

"...And as I told you, after you transported yourself into the observation room, I doubt she has the resources we do."

"She has a point," said Martha, the scientist part of her speaking up. "Merlin..."

"Forgive me, for being reluctant on this point, but you must understand my concern. I have worked for UNIT since its inception. I have seen what can happen up the chain of command, when someone gets an idea to 'study' something...or someone...who is different. I have tried to be a voice of advocacy in that organization against mistreatment of the more unusual beings."

"Colonel Emrys," Landry interrupted, "I think we have shown that we have been more than willing to work with you. I didn't look too far into things when you came in here, after somehow hearing that Major Dallon and his friend were brought back. I helped to arrange the paperwork for your friend, Percival, to leave this facility without too many questions...and even swept a few things under the rug, when it came to your unconventional travel arrangements."

Gwaine was fidgeting in his seat. Arthur had been his king for the past several years...but it seemed so long ago. It was almost another lifetime to him. His eyes met Guinevere's. He knew she was witnessing the war within the former knight to maintain peace with both sides of himself. He could see the conflict reflected in her, as well...the peasant queen...and the woman who was trying to embrace the change. Gwen broke the gaze, and looked down into her lap.

Arthur laid a few floors above them, still heavily sedated from his surgery. The few times he had briefly awoken, his mind was more in a dream state, not recognizing the world around him. Dr. Lam had explained that, until the tube was removed from his throat, she didn't want him fully cognizant of his surroundings.

Merlin continued to argue with Landry. "All of which I greatly appreciate, General Landry. What do you think my government would say, if they found out you were keeping a man, who by all accounts is himself, a national treasure..."

"Now, you listen here. It was Dr. Lam who managed to extract him from the pod, which you wouldn't have even known existed. Do I need to point out, that it was her lifesaving efforts that have kept him breathing in the recovery room?"

The two powerful men stared at each other. Merlin opened his mouth to say something more, but was stopped by a gentle hand on his forearm.

Gwen sat up straighter and cleared her throat, deciding that now was the time to bring out the queen. Her eyes rose and met Merlin's. Something passed between them in that moment.

Gwaine snorted softly, recognizing the authority in the queen's stare, and the way Merlin unconsciously backed down from it. So many centuries separated them, but his friend was still the manservant, loyal to a fault, to his king and queen.

Even Martha took notice in the sudden change of demeanor in her husband. She knew there were many aspects of his character she had yet to discover, but the calm acceptance as he deferred to Gwen's authority, was surprising.

"If I may make a suggestion, General?" Gwen waited for the General to nod, and then proceeded, "First of all, I want to thank you, and Dr. Lam for all that you have done, and continue to do for myself, my son, and my husband. We would not be here without any of you.

"Merlin's concern is valid. Even in Camelot, those with unconventional abilities were shunned, tortured, and often times...put to death, simply for being different. If we could have some assurances that any information gained from Merlin's blood, be kept in confidence...among a few other requests...then I feel we could certainly find both our interests fulfilled."

Landry's bushy eyebrows rose, and a smirk played at the corner of his mouth. "Your Highness, I believe you would make a very fine lawyer. Alright...Let's put our cards on the table, shall we?"

* * *

 

Gwaine wandered into the infirmary. Arthur had been moved to a semi-private area in the back. He was still hooked up with wires, intravenous lines, and tubes for drainage. The intubation tube down his throat had been removed, just before the briefing with Dr. Lam. Before he had left the Briefing Room, amidst the negotiations, Lam mentioned that she planned to begin weaning him off the sedatives. Everything appeared to be healing, now that the sword piece had been removed.

He pulled a stool up to Arthur's bedside. He frowned at the sight and sighed heavily. His head fell into his hands, and he studied the floor intently. "Hey Princess, they're gonna be letting you wake up soon. I don't know what I'm going to do yet, when that happens. I miss my life with you lot, but I have my life here too. Damn...what am I supposed to do?"

"What you've always done, Gwaine." A hoarse voice whispered breathlessly.

Gwaine's head shot up and he met the blue eyes of Camelot's monarch. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Arthur.

"You look like hell." The king commented with a weak sneer. "What happened to you?"

"A lot, my friend...a hell of a lot." He gave a gentle squeeze to Arthur's shoulder. "Things have changed since the Battle of Camlann. Just so you know, you were out for...well, let's just say it's been a really long time."

Arthur stared at his knight. His throat felt like it was on fire, and the pain in his chest was almost unbearable, but he gave no sign of weakness. He could tell the world he awoke in, was not the same one he had died in. "Is this Avalon?"

"No," Gwaine drawled. "You're alive, but you're probably going to kill Merlin, when you get your strength back."

"Stocks..."

The former knight clicked his tongue. He cocked his head to the side. "That could be a problem. Most...uh...kingdoms...these days don't approve of putting people in the stocks, even though there would be a lot more variety of things to throw...Tell ya what, I'll build you some out at my place."

"You are a landowner?"

Gwaine chuckled. He'd almost forgotten how different land ownership between then and now, really worked. "Fifteen centuries have passed since Camlann."

"Bollocks, you'd be dead, if that was the case...unless, magic was used." Arthur frowned. His eyes shot open and darted around. "Merlin...he has magic, Gwaine."

The Major put his hands on Arthur's shoulders to calm the king. "I know...I guessed a long time before you did. I'm okay with it though. From what he said, you came to terms with it, too."

He could see the thoughts playing out in Arthur's eyes. Normally, when the king was concerned, the blue eyes would become steely and cold, allowing none of his emotions to show. The flitting panic and consternation were easily readable, while the medication was still in his system.

Arthur calmed and nodded reluctantly. "I...did." He began to look around the room. "Where are we, Gwaine? If not Avalon...then where?...And what the hell is all this stuff?"

"I should probably go get the Doc, let her know you're awake." Gwaine began to rise, but was stopped by Arthur's hand, weakly gripping his arm.

"No. That's an order." The king commanded.

"...And since when do I follow orders?" Gwaine said, with a smirk.

Arthur's eyes hardened, "Just this once, Gwaine...I am in too much distress...to have you argue with me."

The former knight nodded and sat back down. It was a rare moment, for Arthur to admit weakness of any kind. If he disobeyed the king now, Gwaine knew he would lose much of the trust they had built over the years. "Yeah, perhaps it would be better to get you up to date on some things, before we let everyone else know you're awake. Are you feeling a lot of pain?"

"That doesn't matter." He met Gwaine's eyes with a pleading stare. "Tell me...please."

Gwaine raked his hand across his scalp. He exhaled loudly, wondering where to start. "First off, you're alive. Gwen is here, and Merlin...of course...Percival is around, too, but he is having travel issues. What Merlin did to save you, after Camlann, worked...just not in the way any of us would have thought..."

Arthur listened while Gwaine told his story. If he had the energy, he would have scoffed in disbelief, or ranted at the impossibility of it all. He was in excruciating pain, but he set his jaw and pushed through it; ignoring all the odd devices and sounds around them. He focused on what his knight was telling him.

"What happened to Camelot?" He asked, after noticing that Gwaine had skirted the issues a few times.

"It fell...but not to war. A disease that even Merlin couldn't cure, ravaged the land. From what he's said, it hit Camelot the worst. Even if you had been there, you couldn't have stopped it, and then none of you would have this second chance."

The king closed his eyes, the pain in his chest coming not only from the wound, but also from the heartache.

"I'm going to go get someone. I think Gwen would want to see you before you get back to sleep."

"I saw her...you know...She was in some sort of contraption, and looked like she was asleep..."

"You were awake?" Gwaine asked, his brow furrowed.

"I don't know. I was in a room with a sword in a block of stone, and there were others, dressed as you are. There was one. The others called him 'Mitchell'. He pulled out the sword and I remember fighting him, but I was so weak...He couldn't even hold the sword correctly...but somehow he bested me. It was then, I saw Guinevere, before everything disappeared."

Gwaine bit the inside of his cheek. He had fought against Cameron in college, and saying the man was a shoddy fencer, would be giving him too much credit. He remembered his friend telling him briefly about the battle with the holographic knight, and made a joke about how that was the only way Cameron could win a sword fight. He knew once the Colonel was rescued, if Arthur saw him...there was going to be hell to pay. "I'm going to go get Gwen. Don't go anywhere."

Arthur glared exhaustedly at Gwaine's attempt at humor.

He didn't realize he had dozed off, until he heard the beautiful voice calling to him. As he forced his eyes open, he saw her. He didn't know, nor did he care, if there was anyone else around. All that mattered, in his pain-clouded mind, was the smiling, tearful face of the woman he never believed he would see again.

She held him gently, as if he were a fragile piece of glass. He didn't care about his wound, nor all the strange contraptions and tubes, as he pulled against them to wrap his arms around his wife. Arthur wasn't able to stop the tears that came from his own eyes. Their lips soon met, and Arthur felt that, at that moment, it didn't matter if he was alive or dead, as long as his beautiful Guinevere was with him.

Pulling back he smiled weakly, while her hand caressed his face and brow. Arthur finally allowed himself to look around. Other people were standing by, including his friend, and servant. Their eyes met, and Arthur offered Merlin, the briefest of nods.

A woman, dressed in a white coat, stepped forward. "Alright, I think you've had enough excitement for the day," she said, in a tone not unlike the one Gaius used to use, while he was treating an injured man. "I'm Dr. Lam, the physician here. I need to ask you a few questions, before I administer some more sedative."

"I don't want any sedative." Arthur responded in scratchy voice, trying to sound authoritative.

"That's nice, Mr. Pendragon, however you need to rest, so your body can heal. I have the sneaking suspicion that isn't going to happen on it's own."

A snickering behind her caught her attention. Without even turning around, she threatened the two men causing the disturbance. "If you boys don't behave yourselves, I will have Security remove you from my infirmary." Her tone was simple matter-of-fact, that left no room for debate if she was serious.

Gwaine and Merlin managed to appear rather contrite, as they bit down on their lips and stifled their amusement.

She began to ask Arthur various questions about his current state. "Are you in a lot of discomfort?"

The king's face twitched, and he tried not to sneer. "I was run through by a sword, after battling against Saxons for hours. Then, I find out you opened up my body, like a hunter gutting a bloody rabbit. I'm attached to...whatever the hell these things are...What do you think?

"I think if you are attempting to intimidate me, with your hostilities, you're going to have to work a lot harder...Your Highness." She snapped.

Merlin couldn't stop the snort that came out at Arthur's look of disbelief. That was all it took for Gwaine to begin sniggering into his hand.

"OUT! Both of you!" Lam ordered.

A small grin of triumph crossed the king's face, until his wife spoke up. "You need to behave yourself, as well. Now, answer the good Doctor's questions, Arthur."

* * *

__


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Ten:**

* * *

 

Gwen stayed by her husband's bedside holding his hand, while the sedative, administered through the IV drip, took hold. When she was certain he was asleep, she took a deep breath and rejoined the others, who were waiting in Dr. Lam's office.

After more discussion, mostly concerning Arthur's continued care, Martha offered to drive Gwen out to the house. It had been nearly two days, since Gwen had returned there and seen her son. Her stomach was tied up in knots of anxiety. She didn't know how she was going to tell Arthur about his son, not that she thought he would take it badly, but rather that he would then feel guilty for leaving her...which was something he had no control over.

If he did, Gwen knew his anger would be taken out on Merlin, most likely. She couldn't imagine how this much older and worldly version of her husband's manservant, would actually respond. In many ways, she thought she still knew him, but she wondered how much of what she saw, was him putting on a show to help her ease into this strange existence. Merlin had stayed on the Base, in case Arthur woke up again...and also to allow Dr. Lam to begin her tests on his blood. Gwaine was on standby, in case he was needed for the continuing search for his friend Cameron. He'd managed to make it home once, in the last two weeks.

The lives of the two men, seemed so much different...yet, oddly similar...to when they lived in Camelot.

"What is he like?" She asked Martha, out of the blue, as they drove to Gwaine's house. The window of the rental car, which Martha insisted on getting, was rolled down, and Gwen was enjoying the continuous rush of wind that came through.

"Who?" Martha glanced at her friend.

"Merlin. I almost feel I don't know him anymore...perhaps, I don't. He has seen so much over the years, and it humbles me to realize how small of a part I was in it."

"You were a bigger part of his life than I think you realize. He has served other kings and queens over the years, but he has said, none of them compared to his time with you. He's a good man, with a good heart, and he has never forgotten you...well, he did have some trouble remembering what you looked like..."

"He what?"

Martha smiled sheepishly. "Don't tell him I told you this! But...it had been so long...He could recall some things, like feelings and even bits of conversation; but until you all began returning, he wouldn't have been able to describe you. So much of that history has been obscured by different writers. Each one of them has described you all so differently, that it muddled his memories."

"I suppose that makes sense. If you are told something often enough, it can become a sort of truth." Gwen said, insightfully. "In Camelot, I grew up hearing nothing except how evil magic was. Nearly all encounters I had with it, were negative...mostly people out for revenge, I know now. It wasn't until my father was saved by magical means, from a curse, that I began to question that knowledge.

"'Why would someone use magic, in a good way, to save a simple blacksmith?' I thought to myself. Then, of course, I was arrested and accused of witchcraft, by Arthur's father. I was told, later, how Merlin burst into the council chambers and proclaimed that he was the one who healed my father. I thought he was just trying to save me at the time, but now I know he was telling the truth." Gwen giggled softly. "The first time I met him, Arthur had put him in the stocks for mouthing off. This, of course, was after Merlin had already spent a night in the dungeons. I remember saying to him, that he didn't look like the type who could take on someone like Arthur...Do you know what his response was?"

Martha shook her head.

"'I'm in disguise.' I...oh my, I still laugh about that. Had I only known, just how honest he was being at that very moment. I suppose what I'm asking...is he still in disguise? Is he simply trying to act like he used to, just for my sake?"

"Perhaps a bit," Martha answered truthfully, as she turned onto the dirt drive. Many aspects of her husband would always remain a mystery, but she accepted that. "He doesn't purposely keep secrets from me, but there are things in his past, I imagine he would rather forget. Merlin is rather guarded with his real emotions, much of the time. He opens up to me when we are alone. Although, since Gwaine and Percival's arrival, I've begun to see a lot more of it outside of our private life. It almost seems as though...he's become more alive, especially since your return."

Gwen's eyes glistened with tears. "Do you ever think...any one of us will really have a clue what he's been through?...Or how he managed to stay sane all these years?"

"No." She answered plainly, shutting off the car. "There are a couple of men I know, who might be able to understand to an extent...but Merlin can barely stand one of them, and the other...I haven't seen for quite some time. I'm not sure if Merlin even knows himself, at times. Sometimes, I almost think he could use someone his age, to compare notes with. That might be the only way any of us can really know what he's like."

* * *

 

"He's taking this entirely too well." Merlin's disembodied voice stated in a suspicious tone.

Arthur had his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep, but he was listening to the hushed voices speaking on the other side of the curtain.

"I don't know, maybe it's just because of his injuries...or maybe he does understand. You were the one who convinced me to believe in him, to start with. So, don't you go giving up on him now," came Gwaine's response.

Merlin scoffed, "I'm not...I just..."

The rest of the warlock's reply was muffled and Arthur could hear the voices moving away. He took the opportunity to open his eyes and survey his surroundings. His mind couldn't make heads or tails of pretty much anything he saw. Turning his head, he saw the curtains and the odd boxes with the magical appearing lines, that seemed to jump with every heartbeat. The tubes connected to him, and ran to bags and other noisy boxes. The Doctor...he rolled his eyes at the thought...had threatened him harshly, if he even considered removing them.

Something on a small bedside table caught his eye. He weakly reached for it, grimacing as the needles taped to his arms, pulled slightly. It appeared to be a small portrait, the clarity of which, utterly amazed him. Inside the frame was his Guinevere...but even more astonishing was the small child in her lap.

The child had dark hair, but his skin was a lighter tone than Gwen's. It was closer to what his looked like, after he'd been outside training for a full summer. His eyes were gray. A closer look and he could discern various flecks of blue and a darker hazel. Across his small nose was a smattering of freckles, very similar to Guinevere's. He felt his breath catch at the sight of their smiling faces, so lifelike and real enough he could almost touch them.

"Aurelianus."

Arthur was startled at being caught, enraptured by the portrait. His blue eyes glistened, though he tried to hide it. Looking up, he met Merlin's eyes and relaxed.

Merlin walked over, holding a cup in his hand. He handed it to Arthur.

The king started to take a drink before noticing that there wasn't any liquid in it, just pieces of broken ice. He stared at the chunks of frozen water, all very similar in size and wondered why anyone would employ a craftsman to cut ice into small bits like this, that would only melt.

"Still lazy," he said in a raspy voice. "...can't even melt ice for me to drink."

A look of anger flashed through Merlin's eyes, but was gone in the next moment, and Arthur wondered if he had imagined it. "Doctor Lam would prefer if you ate the ice, instead of drinking water outright for now. It'll help give your body some time to adjust with less possibility of vomiting."

Tentatively, Arthur took a few of the chips into his mouth. "You're bedside manner hasn't improved with age, I see."

Merlin sighed and flopped down on the chair nearby. He chose to ignore the way the king was trying to bait him into an argument. Pointing to the picture Arthur held, he said again. "Aurelianus. It means 'golden' in latin."

"I know what it means."

Merlin allowed himself a ghost of a smile. "That's his name. The name of your son, Arthur."

Arthur looked back down at the picture, not fully processing...or acknowledging...what Merlin said. "This painting is amazing. I can't even discern any brush strokes..."

The warlock chuckled, "...Because, it's not a painting. It's a photograph." He noticed Arthur watching him, waiting for an explanation. He groaned, "I've never been good at explaining things, Arthur. You know this. Why are you being evasive?"

"Why the hell wouldn't I be? I barely recognize you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Guinevere, looks different...her clothing and her hair and such. Hell, Gwaine looks downright odd. I don't think I'd ever been able to clearly see both his eyes before...but they are both still people I know. I look at you Merlin, and I don't think I know you anymore."

They stared at each other for a few minutes, in silence.

The king finally spoke again. "The last time we had a clear conversation, was prior to Camlann. I called you a coward...and you were, just not for the reasons I thought."

"We spoke again, after that, you know." Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Yes...we did. I was gravely injured and had just found out you had magic." Merlin started to interrupt, but Arthur's glare forced him to remain quiet. "I meant what I said...Thank you, for all you had done and for saving me. I never thought I would open my eyes again."

"So your words weren't only those of a dying man, trying to clear his conscience? You also told me not to change. I'm sorry, I have...it was rather inevitable."

"Was it?"

Merlin's breath trembled as he inhaled. He could feel a biting remark on the tip of his tongue.

The two men fell into another awkward silence.

Arthur chewed on some more of the ice chips, his throat feeling less scratchy and raw. "You were a coward...for not trusting me before that. Did you set out to purposely wait for me to be on my deathbed to tell me, so I couldn't retaliate...or question it...or god only knows what I would have done...?"

"Which is why I didn't tell you..."

"You were a coward Merlin. You should have trusted me, like I trusted you." Arthur shifted in the bed and looked at the picture again. "I'll have Guinevere tell me about him, when she returns."

Merlin's head was bowed, his ancient blue eyes stared at the floor. "I'm sorry." He whispered, and then stood up. "I'll leave you in peace for now."

Arthur nodded, "Perhaps that would be best."

* * *

 

"Hey Merlin!" Gwaine called, bounding down the hallway. "Just got a call from the girls, they're on their way back in...What's wrong?"

He closed his eyes and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I thought the longest road was behind me, Gwaine. Now, I'm not so sure."

""The princess has had a real shock to his system. It'll take some time for him to acclimate. What's really bothering you?"

"I was happy, Gwaine. I had a good life going. I was looking forward to my future with Martha...for the first time in centuries, actually considering children again. There were dark times over the years, but I always pulled back and left them behind me..."

"You'll get through this." The former knight began to realize how the situation was really affecting Merlin emotionally. He couldn't begin to imagine the memories that had been dredged up for the warlock, by the recent events. He pulled his friend into a hug. Gwaine didn't have any words of real comfort, but he wanted his friend to know he was still there for him. "I'm going to go see if Arthur's awake, but then I have to run. I'm going out with my actual team today."

"Still searching for Cameron?"

"No...the search efforts have been scaled way back. The decision came from the IOA." He wasn't happy about leaving his friend to the Sodan...and he wasn't the only one who had grumbled to General Landry, about his reluctance to give up on Cameron Mitchell. Unfortunately, that was life in the military. When orders were given, you carried them out...personal feelings aside. "We're heading out on a basic Recon...'meet and greet', type of thing. So I can 'get my feet wet.'" He said, his last words mimicking General Landry.

Gwaine looked his friend over. "I'll be out for a couple of days. Are you going to be alright?"

Merlin nodded, "You should go see Arthur, before you leave."

They parted ways. Gwaine headed to the infirmary and found Arthur asleep, gripping the picture of his wife and son. He smiled and nodded to himself, deciding it would be best to let the king continue slumbering.

* * *

 

"How's Elvis handling things?" Martha asked her husband.

She and Gwen had just returned from a tearful goodbye with Laney. The negotiations Gwen had managed with Landry, included...with Gwaine's suggestion...transportation back to the UK. It was unlikely they would be able to see Elaine again before then, but they promised to keep in touch through video chats and such, once Gwen and Arthur were settled.

The queen took Aurie into the infirmary and sat down at her husband's bedside. She and Martha listened, as Dr. Lam went through an update on the king's status.

Merlin held himself back during the conversation, and as soon as Martha got an opening, she went to him. Linking her arm through his, she led him away.

He only shrugged.

"Hey...no shutting down on me." She warned him.

Merlin rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. I was trying to talk with Arthur earlier...It was a very interesting conversation, to say the least."

"How about we go grab a bite, and sit down outside somewhere? When was the last time you saw the sun?"

He snorted, "A few days at least."

"Let me go tell Gwen what we're doing. Then we'll get you out of here for a bit."

As Martha suspected, the other woman had no qualms about staying, and even seemed relieved that Merlin was finally going to take a break. It would probably be awhile before Arthur woke again, and Gwen was hoping for some time alone with him to introduce Aurie, when he did.

Outside the Base, Merlin stopped and pulled Martha close to him. They held each other silently, and watched the colors of the sunset. The light began to fade, and the pair made their way to the rental car.

"So, want to tell me what happened?"

"Not really."

Martha pinned him with a glare.

He squirmed, and finally relented, "He called me a lazy coward and tried to start an argument. What else needs to be said? He's still the same supercilious prat he was, all those years ago."

"Are you more upset that he hasn't had the time to change...like you, Gwaine, and Percival have...or that he's interrupted your life?"

"I don't know. I once told him I would be happy to be his servant until the day I died..." He scoffed, "Little did I know at the time, I couldn't seem to die."

Martha bit her bottom lip. It was very unlike her husband to be in such a dark mood. She knew he must have seen more death over the centuries than anyone should, but most of the time, it wasn't something he spoke of...especially when it came to himself. "He really got to you, didn't he?"

He looked out the window and sighed.

Martha pulled out onto one of the highways. "Gwen told me how you first met her." She said, trying to get his mind out of the darkness. "You told her you were in disguise."

He couldn't help but snicker at the memory. "I guess that's how he must be feeling, when he looks at me. He never had time to really process the revelation of who I was, under the bumbling fool I let the world see."

"We'll be getting him out of there soon." She said, thinking about the arrangement Gwen had come to with Landry. When Dr. Lam felt Arthur was stable enough, Prometheus would transport them to Merlin's estate. Although, Merlin had yet to tell the former queen exactly where it was located. He half-wanted it to be a surprise, but was also very nervous about how Gwen...or more especially, Arthur...would react. "I think a change of scenery would do well, for you both."

* * *

 

Gwen smiled and tried to stifle her laughter. Cassie sat on the floor a few feet away from the bed, playing a clapping game with Aurie. The little boy was giggling profusely, while he bounced up and down. He reached out his hands to Cassie, and the young woman allowed him to grab her fingers.

He pulled himself up to a very wobbly, standing position and tentatively took a few awkward steps forward, with Cassie's assistance.

His mother's eyes lit up in wonder, when he let go and took a step on his own, before falling back on his padded bottom.

A sound from the bed caused Gwen to turn. Arthur's eyes were open, and watching the little boy in fascination. His eyes shifted to meet his wife's. "Has he been walking long?"

Gwen shook her head, tears of happiness filling her eyes. "No..that was his first step."

Arthur nodded and smiled proudly. "Can I meet him?"

* * *

 

They grabbed some takeaway and followed the GPS in the rental car, up to a viewpoint high above the city. The lights of the city laid out before them, in blueish-white and amber patterns. The moon rose from the flat plains to the east, not quite full, but close enough to it that it bathed the land in a bright orange. It appeared extremely large, which Elaine had explained to Martha, was typical during the fall season and Harvest Moon time.

They spoke a little, mostly about the work Martha had been doing for UNIT in Germany, before she came to meet him in Colorado. They also talked about the situation with the Ori, though neither had a solid grasp on the information. "Feeling better?" She asked, once they had eaten.

He made a sound and nodded, taking a drink out of the paper cup from the fast food outlet.

"Have you eaten much this past week?"

Merlin looked away, sheepishly. "No..."

"I'm guessing you haven't relaxed much either?" She reached across to the passenger seat, and began to play with the dark hair on the nape of his neck. "We could always go find a hotel or something?"

Merlin thought about it for a moment, looking at the view below them. He had been so preoccupied since finding out about the pods, he wasn't sure of the last time he'd slept properly, or even attempted to relax. His altercation with Arthur had set him on edge, and here was Martha, his wife of barely six months, offering to help pull him back.

"I was talking to Gwaine earlier and reminded myself...before all of this happened...I was actually considering approaching you about something." He took her hand gently and rubbed circles on the back with his thumb. "We haven't really spoken about...children."

Martha's eyebrows shot up. "I thought you didn't want kids...because of the immortality and all."

He shrugged, "I didn't...but...I never asked if you did...and...lately, I've been questioning that, especially after you three left me to play nursemaid the other day."

Chuckling, she turned to stare out the windshield. "I don't think I really gave it much thought. When I was younger, before I went traveling with the Doctor, I figured at some point, I might settle down and have children. Then things just began to happen, and I saw so much of the world...including an entire year that never even existed now, because time reset itself. Part of me balks against the idea of bringing a child into the world I know...but meeting Gwen and Aurie...I guess I realize, that what we're faced with isn't nearly as harsh...and here they are, thrown into a completely different century."

He smiled and lifted her hand to his lips. "So?"

"Can I think about it some more?"

Merlin nodded, "I wouldn't expect anything less."

After a few seconds, Martha snickered.

"What?"

"No matter what we decide about this...there's nothing that says we can't practice until then."

Smirking, Merlin turned his head and eyed the backseat of the car. "Why bother with a hotel, looks pretty spacious back there...maybe we should try it out."

She roared with laughter. "Feeling like a teenager?"

He glanced around to make certain their car was alone in the deserted Lookout parking. Merlin then whispered a spell, and Martha eyed him suspiciously. "Just to make certain a Bobby doesn't come along and nab us."

Still laughing, she bolted out of her side and into the rear of the car, while Merlin did the same.

They pounced on each other immediately. Shoes and clothing came off in a frenzy; their lips met in breathless, passionate gasps. He reached for her bra catch, before pushing her down onto the seat, and settled between her legs.

The sound of her cell phone...somewhere in the tangled mess on the floor board, made him pause.

"Ignore it. It's probably my sister..." She wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him back to her. She captured his lips with hers again, and the heated exchange continued...until his cell rang from the front center cupholders. He pressed his forehead to her shoulder for a moment to catch his breath.

Very few people had his number. Those who did, typically only used it if there was a problem. He growled as he reached between the front seats, and grabbed it before it could go to voicemail, not bothering to check the caller ID. "This had better be one hell of an emergency!" He said into the receiver.

"Merlin..." It was Gwen's voice on the other end, she sounded like she was flustered. During the shopping trip with Laney and Martha, they had bought her a simple cell phone for emergencies. They showed her how to use it and programmed in their numbers, as well as Gwaine's and Merlin's.

He sat up, his eyes widened, "Gwen, I'm sorry...what is it? Are you okay? Is Arthur alright?" He began firing off questions.

Martha turned on the dome light and began sorting through clothing items; not needing to be told that their roadside tryst was at an end.

"I'm sorry to call..."

"Don't be. What's happened?"

"Three men came into the infirmary, while I was visiting with Arthur. He began making comments to one of them. Then another one jumped in and began arguing...something about a sword fight, and how they were wrong about things. I don't know...Next thing I know, the first man basically challenges Arthur...I think it was Gwaine's friend." She took a deep breath. "Dr. Lam had to have people restrain Arthur. He pulled out some of the needles and such from his arm. I had Aurie on my lap, and he began to scream. Then Arthur was yelling about how it was their fault for upsetting Aurie."

By this time, both Merlin and Martha were fully clothed, back in the front seats, and driving down the mountain towards the Base.

"Is everyone alright?"

"Dr. Lam sedated him, but she's worried about the strain it put on the injuries...I had to get Aurie out of there, so I don't know what's happening now."

"We're on our way, Gwen. Just take a few deep breaths, we'll be there shortly."


	12. Chapter 12

__

**Chapter Eleven:**

* * *

_It was a rather cool, autumnal day; very late in the season. Yet, he had never felt so hot and sweaty while being outside. He had also never felt so weighed down: the chainmail over his shoulders, the shield strapped to his arm, and worst of all, the helmet on his head that allowed him very limited sight._

_"Ready?" Arthur asked. His face was full of malicious glee, at least what little Merlin could see of it._

_"Would it make any difference, if I said 'no?'"_

_Arthur chuckled, "Not really."_

_Merlin drew his sword and held it out in front of him. The attacks came furiously._

_"Body. Shield. Body. Shield." The prince called out with each strike. "Head."_

_"Head?" Head...and it hurt. "Ow..."_

_"Come on, Merlin. You're not even trying!" Arthur called out, egging his opponent on._

_The prince was relentless, each attack causing more and more pain and discomfort. Merlin finally fell over backwards, the helm coming off in the process._

_Arthur stood back and admired the scrawny youth with a serious face. "You're braver than you look. Most servants collapse after the first blow."_

_Merlin allowed himself to grin hopefully. "Is it over?"_

_The spark of malice returned to the prince's eyes. "That was just the warm up..."_

* * *

 

Arthur watched the dark-haired man, eyes moving underneath closed lids, in the middle of a dream.

His own mind felt a bit foggy with the potions that had been put through the tubes and needles. The king's arms were bruised heavily, from where he had torn them out earlier. He realized if he didn't breathe too deeply, his chest wouldn't hurt as much.

It was Merlin's fault, he told himself, even though he knew it was a lie. If he hadn't been so upset by his servant's complete lack of emotion earlier, he might not have reacted so harshly when he saw Mitchell brought into the infirmary; followed by Glasses, and the large man with the gold on his forehead.

When he had first awoken to Gwaine, his knight was different, but still spoke to him in the same manner; still showed him respect. He still called Arthur out, when he thought the king was overreaching, or simply being a prat.

With Guinevere, she was softer and harder at the same time, but the love they shared, still came through. With all his heart, from the first time they had spoken their vows to each other, to the time at the Cauldron of Arianrhod...to even this new time and place...it would always be true. Having to rule Camelot on her own, had strengthened her; trained her to become a proper monarch, with a mettle that reflected such. Becoming a mother had kept her grounded and gave her happiness in the dark times.

Merlin...he was ever the enigma. He looked the same, and Arthur had hoped to find some of their former friendship rekindled with their constant banter. He expected Merlin to challenge him, as the servant always had. Instead, he was met with a cool exterior. Merlin acted like he was walking on eggshells around the king. That was the last thing Arthur wanted, or needed right now. Merlin had been the one true constant in his life for ten years. The one who kept him grounded, who never hesitated to make his opinion known.

Arthur sighed and continued to watch the man sleep. He wondered about Merlin's life...Just how long

had he lived? The king snickered softly as a thought occurred to him. It obviously had taken centuries for Merlin to finally learn to keep his mouth shut.

"Knock, knock."

Arthur eyes shifted away from Merlin. He scowled at the man standing at the break in the blue curtains, that surrounded his bed.

Mitchell held up his hands in an offering of peace. "I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier."

"Really?" Arthur drawled out. "From what I saw, your footwork is completely wrong."

"Whoa, hey now dude! I'm trying to apologize. How in the fracking hell, was I supposed to know I was actually fighting the Great King Arthur, and all that shit?! You looked like nothing but a tin can in that armor...and from what I understand, it wasn't even your body there."

Arthur continued to stare at him.

"Look. I came by to let you know...I'm sorry I beat you. I know at that time...it was lucky that you weren't fully there, at least from what Dallon's told me."

"Who the hell is Dallon?"

"Uh...Major Gwaine Dallon, ring a bell?"

Arthur nodded slowly, in comprehension. "Ah, Sir Gwaine. I assume Dallon is his surname then."

"Yeah. You know, both he and I have clue what you're going through here...Well, not so much me having a clue with the whole ripped from your own time thing...but the confined to a bed, unable to piss anywhere but in a tube or a can, because of a battle injury. That..." He used his hands to emphasize his words. "...that, I know very well."

"Well, if your previous sword skill is anything to judge by, I can imagine you are probably well familiar with my predicament then."

Mitchell chuckled, letting the insult slide. "You have no idea. Although, my injuries weren't from a sword fight. I was a pilot, and got shot down."

"A what?"

"Like a...ship with wings, that flies." He flapped his arms like a bird. "...and you shoot things from it. Well, anyway, I was in one. Soaring through the air, right? A big battle going on around me. I managed a shot that saved a lot of people, but my ship got hit and I went down. I was bedbound and in traction for months."

"I don't plan on being in this bed for months."

Mitchell shrugged. He glanced over at Merlin, still sound asleep in the chair nearby. "Aw...so cute when they're sleeping," sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Arthur had to snicker.

"So...I heard from the Doc that when you tried to come after me earlier, you pulled out the catheter."

Groaning, Arthur shifted in the bed a bit. "Yes...whatever that means."

"That was the tube that hooked up to your bladder in a rather...painful way. I'm guessing, if you're anything like I was in your position, there is one thing you want to do above anything else, right now."

"And that would be?"

"Getting out of that bed for a few minutes, and experiencing the joys of modern plumbing and toilets."

"Toilets?"

"Head, water closet, lavatory, loo, privy..."

The voice of the man with glasses came from around the curtain, where Arthur couldn't see. "Garderobe."

"Garderobe, thank you." Mitchell turned to look at the other man. "Who the hell came up with a name like that?" He quickly held up his finger. "Don't answer that."

The brief exchange between the two men, obviously warriors of this age, who had served together for a time, was actually a comfort for Arthur. Times and words may change, but the bond of brotherhood between men, remained constant. "You do realize...when I am able, I will have my revenge."

"Yep! Counting on, Your Highness." There was a gleam in Mitchell's eyes that said he couldn't wait. "For now though, I say we call a truce and try to get you back some of your dignity in the simplest way possible."

Arthur nodded, "I accept your terms."

"Awesome!" Mitchell gave the king a 'thumb's up' and drew back the curtain. "We have to be quick or the Doc is going to string us all up."

Behind the curtain was the dark man holding the handles of a chair on wheels. Standing next to him was Glasses. Arthur eyed the chair, intrigued.

"Oh, by the way, I'm Cameron Mitchell, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson, and the big guy here is Teal'c."

Arthur nodded at each of them, as Mitchell and Jackson moved forward to begin unhooking him from some of the monitors, and lifting the bags of fluids off of the metal hooks; reattaching them to the pole, with hooks of its own, on the wheelchair. Teal'c moved forward and lent Arthur his strength to move from the bed to the chair. Daniel kept looking around to make sure they weren't spotted.

"I can't believe, my first conversation with the legendary King Arthur, is about taking him to the bathroom." Daniel said, pushing his glasses higher up on his nose. "Oh wait...this is my life...yes I can."

"Should we wake up sleeping beauty there?" Mitchell asked, indicating Merlin, as he began pushing the chair with the king towards the closest facilities.

Mitchell and Teal'c were already out of sight. Daniel looked down and noticed Merlin's eyes were open. A very small shake of his head, gave Daniel the answer. "No...I think we should just let sleeping wizards lie."

Merlin smiled his thanks, and Daniel nodded mutely in return, before following the other three.

A few minutes later, Dr. Lam and Martha came into the curtained enclosure.

Lam looked at the empty bed, and then at Merlin. "Where the hell is my patient?"

Merlin smiled innocently, blinked his eyes a few times, and shrugged in response. "I was asleep."

She huffed and turned away, trying to find the answer.

Martha gave her husband a look of incredulity and mouthed the word 'where?'

He held up his hands, indicating he didn't know, but at the same time was trying to keep from snickering.

* * *

 

Arthur stared in fascination. He reached out for the metal handle and pushed down on it again. He laughed so much it hurt, but he didn't care. "This plumbing is better than anything the Romans left!" He flushed the toilet again, watching the whirlpool form in a rush of water as it was sucked out.

Daniel and Cameron shared a look, just outside the stall. Each held out a fist and pumped it up and down three times. On the third, it was supposed to offer a decision as to who would go in and haul the ancient king out. Teal'c simply raised an eyebrow and cocked his head, ever so slightly.

Both men had their hands shaped like scissors, indicating a draw.

"Arthur Pendragon, I believe it would be prudent if we were to make haste in leaving these facilities at once, before Doctor Lam discovers our whereabouts." Teal'c said in a deep voice. His words clipped and semi-robotic sounding.

The main door to the bathroom opened, and Merlin slipped in. He looked curiously at the three men outside the stall. The toilet flushed again, and he could hear Arthur chuckling.

"Of all the sodding, stupid things to become obsessive about, why am I not surprised he picked the toilet." Merlin muttered. He banged on the door. "OY! Just because it's called a 'porcelain throne', doesn't mean you get to sit your royal backside on it all day!"

"I'm the king, Merlin, you can't tell me what to do."

"Bloody wanker!"

"That's a new one!" Arthur stated with surprise.

"Yeah, I have hundreds of more now, as well! So, I suggest you get your noble arse out here, where I can call you them, to your face!"

The door to the stall unlocked, Arthur looked up at Merlin from the wheelchair. "That's the first sign of real life I have seen from you."

Merlin shuffled his feet and looked away. The other three men took that as their cue to vacate the premises.

The door closed behind them, and the king looked Merlin over. "You are still in there somewhere...aren't you?"

The warlock nodded, and then shrugged, "Maybe." He took a deep breath and met Arthur's eyes.

"This is going to take a while, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I suspect it will."

"Do me a favor Merlin...Don't treat me differently. You never have before." The reluctance to say the next words were etched in his face. "You are my friend...I need that right now."

Merlin closed his eyes and nodded, "I'll try my best..." Almost as an afterthought, he uttered, "...dollop head."

"Idiot." Arthur said with a smirk.

"Mr. Pendragon, are you in here?" Dr. Lam asked in an exasperated voice from the door.

The corner of Merlin's mouth turned up slightly.

Arthur shot him a glare. In a hushed voice he warned, "If you tell her you are teaching me poetry, I will kill you...without any hesitation."

"Uh...no...just me...You might want to try looking in the tavern." Merlin responded, with laughter in his eyes.

Arthur's mouth fell open upon hearing the well-worn excuse. "You cheeky bastard," he whispered.

* * *

 

The ringing wail of the claxons assaulted his ears, the moment his feet hit the ramp on the Earth side of the Gate. He spun around, his P-90 raised and ready as he backed down towards the concrete floor. He could hear Lt. Col. Reeves shouting. "Close the Iris!"

Twenty large blades, made of a trinium alloy, folded together with a hiss, that reminded him of swords sliding across one another. Like a multi-bladed leaf shutter on an old camera, they closed off the Gate three micrometers from the watery blue event horizon of the wormhole.

He winced at the sound of something hitting the other side...and then again. He choked back the bile in his throat as the Iris took a third hit, before the wormhole disengaged.

The Iris had held, but at least three people who followed the team through, had been disintegrated before they could set foot on Earth. Gwaine had forgotten about that part of it. He grimaced and shook away the regret.

"Colonel Reeves, what the hell happened?" General Landry asked, through the intercom system that connected the Gate Room to the Command Center.

"Ambushed, Sir." Reeves responded. "Assailants unknown, but they were looking for information on Vala Mal Doran."

Gwaine could see Landry through the windows above them. "Get yourselves to the infirmary, ASAP. Then prepare for your debriefing."

He followed his team out of the Gate Room. They checked their weapons in at the armory and went straight to the infirmary as ordered. Standard Protocol entailed much more for incoming Gate travellers now, than it had before he went MIA. Gwaine found out that, on more than one occasion, Stargate Command had suffered incursions from aliens attempting to destroy Earth during his absence.

He took off his helm and ran a palm over his head. He noticed a bit of red on his hand. Then his ear started to hurt a bit. "Aww! Really?" He groaned, and looked at his helmet. He noticed the strap on the right side was singed.

Reeves turned around and glanced at the Major. "Something wrong, Dallon?" He noticed the injury, an extremely minor nick, at the base of his subordinate's earlobe. Reeves began laughing as he walked into the infirmary. "Hey Doc, got a bandaid? Dallon cut himself shaving."

"Yeah...while I had my helmet on, and we were taking fire...I decided to make myself all pretty, just for you, Colonel!" He blew a kiss at Reeves, who guffawed.

"You guys will just have to wait your turn. Unless it's something critical, I'm a bit busy." Lam said tersely.

Gwaine looked over, while he began stripping off his battle gear. He paused, upon noticing that she was re-attaching Arthur to the monitors. Making his way over, his manner became concerned. "What happened?"

The three men of SG-1 stood off to the side...attempting to appear innocent, Gwaine noted. He corrected his thoughts. Two of them were trying...Teal'c simply stood by, impassive and stoic as always.

Martha was over near the far wall, speaking with Merlin, who looked a bit contrite himself.

Arthur smiled at Gwaine, though he could see the strain in the king's face. "Your friends here were showing me around a bit."

Lam pushed her dark hair out of her eyes and shook her head. "After Colonel Mitchell, Dr. Jackson, and Mr. Pendragon tried to start a fight in my infirmary last night, they decided to become buddies today and Colonel Mitchell wanted to show him the toilet facilities."

She continued, glaring at each one of them in turn. "I am now going to have to replace a few of the staples holding his chest together. Luckily, though, from the X-rays, I can tell that he hasn't messed up any of the wires in his sternum." She sighed, and looked at Gwaine. "I know I probably should have listened to you a bit more, when you and Colonel Emrys told me he was going to be a difficult patient."

"I am sitting right here, you know?" Arthur scoffed.

Lam gave Gwaine a tight-lipped smile, ignoring the man behind her. "You know, let's go ahead and have a look at that ear of yours."

* * *

 

Gwaine felt extremely lucky. The enemy shot had managed to go right between the strap and his earlobe, leaving nothing but a minor laceration. After receiving some ointment and getting the 'all clear' for any alien parasites, he joined the rest of his team in the Briefing Room.

Their first day on P7A- 623, the designation given to the planet they had visited, was rather uneventful. The natives of the place seemed friendly enough; offering to host a dinner in honor of the visitors from the Stargate. The recent discovery of a large Trinium mine on the planet could have opened up possible trade relations, but one person...as usual...had to go blow the deal.

"...We think our arrival information was sent to members of the Lucian Alliance. I happened to overhear a communication, while speaking with our host in their Operations Center. I immediately informed Reeves and we began to head back to the Gate."

"Any idea what they were looking for?" Landry asked.

Another member of the team, Lieutenant Summer, spoke up. Summer was still fresh out of training, with this being only his fourth or fifth trip through the Gate. Gwaine didn't have much rapport yet with Summer or Major Calden, the fourth member of their team. He knew it was going to take some time, but Summer's sense of humor was already annoying him. "They were looking for Dr. Jackson's pretty little alien girlfriend." He chuckled and waggled his eyebrows.

General Landry's face reflected how Gwaine felt about the man's comment. During his recovery, Mitchell...hoping to make Gwaine part of SG-1...had passed along many of the mission reports from his team. While he had never met the woman Summer was referring to, her contributions towards SG-1, and indeed the whole Milky Way Galaxy, were priceless.

She was the one who first brought in the tablets that spoke of Avalon, and the location where the pods were recovered from. If not for her, Arthur, Gwen, and little Aurie, would still be trapped in the underground caverns near Glastonbury. Beyond that, the report from her final mission told him all he needed to know.

The general pinned Summer with a condescending glare. "Vala Mal Doran sacrificed herself to stop construction on the Ori Supergate, Lt. Summer. Have a little more respect for someone we should consider a fallen hero, despite her rather...dubious nature."

Gwaine hid smirk at Summer's embarrassment. He couldn't stop feeling that this was not the team he was supposed to be with. Reeves was a decent enough leader. Standing between six foot and six-one, he was built like a tank. Not as intimidating as Percival or Teal'c, but he was solid, a great shot, and someone Gwaine would have at his back any day...but he was a bit indecisive, especially for a Marine Colonel. He was certainly more adept at following orders, rather than giving them.

Perhaps it was the ingrained sense of chivalry, and the vows of knighthood, that set Gwaine apart from the others. Comments like Summer's were commonplace on the short mission, and Reeves acted more like a brother, than a commander, in Gwaine's opinion. Not giving any reprimand, unless it was in the form of a joke. Gwaine tried to, since he outranked the Lieutenant, but was told to stand down by Reeves. The Lt. Colonel told Gwaine that, although he was the second highest rank on the team, he needed to 'loosen up' and 'get into the flow of things before he tried to pull rank'. Deep down, Major Gwaine Dallon was seething.

Maybe it was just that over the past years, he'd been following a man whose decisive command, and almost sixth-sense when it came to battle tactics, had spoiled him. He had patrols under his own command among knights who respected him. He followed a king, who treated his men as equals and brothers. When it came down to the nitty-gritty, though, Arthur knew where to draw the line, and when to trust his chosen commanders.

Reeves continued to debrief the general. The visit to the foreign planet ended in a firefight against, who they assumed, were hired troops from the Lucian Alliance. The Alliance was a group of smugglers, who had recently come together to form some sort of coalition, in the absence of the recently defeated Goa'uld System Lords. Beyond that...not much was known about them.

Finally, the debriefing concluded. He knew he should have gone straight to a desk, and started the paperwork for the mission and incident reports. Instead, Gwaine found his way back down to the infirmary, which seemed much quieter this time around. He glanced through the window of Dr. Lam's office. The petite brunette physician was at her desk. She smiled at him through the window and nodded in the direction of Arthur's bed, letting him know he was allowed to visit.

Across from her, with their backs towards the window, were Martha Jones and Cassandra Fraiser. He couldn't believe that the young nurse was the same alien girl, who SG-1 had brought back with them years previous, from a planet where she had somehow been the only survivor of a planet-wide plague. She had been around twelve or thirteen when that happened.

He knew the former Chief of Medicine on the Base, Dr. Janet Fraiser, had adopted the little girl, who had no one else left. She was seen on Base a few times; for check ups, or just to visit her mom and SG-1, which was under Colonel Jack O'Neill's command. They were the closest thing she had to family. Now, she was all grown up, and had become a nurse; taking one of the civilian positions at the same place where her mother had worked, for so many years. Her hair used to be a bright strawberry blond. Over the years, it had deepened into a rather nice auburn.

Gwaine continued down the row of empty beds in the infirmary, until he reached the one near the back wall. The curtains were partially drawn around it, and he could hear the little prince giggling and babbling out words like "dada". "Am I interrupting anything?" He asked, poking his head around the edge.

"No, enter." Arthur was sitting up in the bed, grinning at the little dark-haired boy.

Gwen was holding her son. She seemed content, yet a bit frazzled as Aurie kept reaching for anything he could put in his mouth. Merlin was leaning against the far wall, in what Gwaine had discovered, was a very typical pose for the ancient man.

His brown eyes took in the scene. He knew that soon, these four people would be gone. It was odd to think that he could travel to other planets so effortlessly, but the idea that his friends would be across half a continent and an ocean, seemed so far away. "Hey Gwen, you mind if I talk to the guys for a little bit?"

She shook her head, kissed her husband and left without argument.

Gwaine sat down in her vacated seat with a heavy sigh. Merlin and Arthur glanced at each other, and allowed their friend to stew in silence for a few moments.

"What's on your mind, Gwaine?" Merlin finally asked.

He sighed again. "Same thing we talked about before I came back to work here. The Search and Rescue stuff under Dixon ran smoothly. The evacuations in Seattle were commanded by Carter...That woman has a sharp mind for it. This was...a complete Charlie Foxtrot."

"A what?" Arthur asked.

Merlin sniggered, "Cluster Frack."

"I ask again...a what?"

"It means things didn't go smoothly for him."

Gwaine pointed to the minor injury where his jaw and earlobe met. "This was pure luck that it wasn't a few millimeters to my left. We could have called off the mission earlier, or we could have been able to get to a more tactical vantage point." The former knight was whispering heatedly. "I shouldn't have retaken my oath. I should have waited"

"Gwaine, you don't mean that. We didn't know things would go this way...and it was one incident." Merlin said, trying to calm his friend.

"Merlin and I were speaking earlier. He told me a bit about this whole Ori situation. He believes, it might have something to do with the timing of my return."

"Martha hasn't been able to find out much from UNIT or the IOA on it. I've been able to discover a bit more, since I've been here, and I don't much like what I've found. These 'Prior' fellows are sort of familiar somehow, but I can't quite place my finger on it."

"I know what you mean. It's almost like they're powerful thinking zombies, or something."

"What's a zombie?" Arthur asked, getting a little perturbed by all the acronyms and words of this new era.

Gwaine's mouth fell open, while he tried to think of something to compare a zombie to. "Um...you remember how when Morgana had that Cup of Life deal going...and her soldiers wouldn't die?"

The king nodded.

"Yeah. Like those guys, but with...magical powers and a hell of a lot more intelligence."

Merlin was staring off blankly.

"Yo, Merlin, are you still with us?" Gwaine asked.

The warlock snapped back to the conversation. He looked at Arthur, his blue eyes sparkling with an idea.

"What sword?...My sword?" Arthur asked, confusion written on his face. "I didn't have my sword when we fought Morgana that first time."

"No...but I did." Merlin was grinning madly.

"How could you? It was stuck fast, in a stone. You told me..." The king's face elongated, and his eyes widened as realization struck.

"Um...what can I say? I lied." Merlin shrugged, as if it was no big deal.

Arthur's eyes searched the area. Gwaine held out a cup filled with ice. The king grabbed a handful and held it up, threatening to throw it at Merlin.

"Do you want to hear the real story, or not?"

Tossing the ice chips back in the cup, Arthur pouted. He motioned for Merlin to continue.

"You remember when that Black Knight came, and no one who accepted his challenge could defeat him? Well, you were supposed to fight him, but..."

"My father had Gaius drug me, then proceeded to lock me in my rooms."

"Well, I went to Gwen, and got her father's best sword. I then went down to the dragon chained below the castle...I had him burnish the blade with magic, not knowing what Uther was planning. I went to give it to you. Uther used it instead and defeated the knight.

"I got in a bit of trouble for allowing Uther to use it. Afterwards I took it to a lake and threw it in, where no one would ever be able to use it."

"Obviously, it didn't stay there..."

Merlin snickered, "No..." He continued to relate the rest of story of the sword to his friends.

"So, when I died...or you thought I died...you threw it into the lake...again." Arthur shook his head in disbelief.

Nodding, Merlin smiled, "Pretty much!"

"What exactly was so special about the magic on the sword, other than being burnished by a dragon?" Gwaine asked.

"It gave the sword the ability to kill anything, even something already dead."

"Nice, anti-zombie weapon! Dallon, will you get me one for Christmas? PLEASE!" The Air Force Colonel laughed and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Sorry to barge in... Just got word that Prometheus will be picking you up within the hour."

Gwaine thanked his friend. "Hey Cameron, come out to the house for a beer later?"

"Sure thing! Maybe we can spar, I can show you some of my moves with the sword and shit."

The knight rolled his eyes.

Arthur guffawed, "You will lose, Colonel Mitchell. I guarantee it. Sir Gwaine was the most skilled swordsman in the Five Kingdoms."

"Only after you, Arthur." The knight argued.

"No. You were even better than me." The king looked directly at Gwaine, while he spoke. Arthur pursed his lips and rethought his words. "Well, at least, one on one, you were better...against multiple opponents...not so much."

Cameron laughed while he sauntered away. "I'll shoot you a text when I'm outta this place!"

"How can I do this, Arthur?" Gwaine asked, when the three of them were alone again. "How can I remain here, when my heart and sword are loyal to you."

The king pondered for a moment, before answering, "I need you here, Gwaine. You alone can keep us apprised of the situation with these Priors. Your first loyalty was to these people...your people...here. I understand that. I will not ask you to go against your oath to them. Until I am ready to join this battle, there is no need for you to feel divided. Even then, I hope we can work together as equals." He held out his arm.

Gwaine grinned with understanding and took the proffered arm. "Well, you guys have fun." He said, as he heard Doctor Lam and the others approaching. "I hear the view up there is wicked."

"It's evil?"

"No...well, you'll see."

"What the hell is this 'Prometheus' thing anyway?"


	13. Chapter 13

* * *

****

**Chapter Twelve:**

* * *

_"...the stars look very different today_

_For here..._

_Am I sitting in a tin can._

_Far...above the world._

_Planet Earth is blue,_

_And there's nothing I can do..."_

_~David Bowie, Space Oddity (Not mine, just used to set the tone)_

* * *

Gwen stood nervously in the area Dr. Lam indicated, along with the others. She fiddled nervously with the blankets and toys surrounding Aurie in the brand new baby stroller Laney had given her. The manicure around her thumb was ruined from her anxious chewing, while she had watched the medical staff prepare Arthur. The majority of the tubes and wires were removed, and she had barely heard the conversation that had taken place in all the activity.

_Dr. Lam had come up, just as Arthur asked the loaded question about Prometheus. She smiled and answered, "You'll see soon enough. We're sending you home with Colonel Emrys today. Cassandra Fraiser will be accompanying you, to assist with your in home recovery. As per your wife's agreement with General Landry, she will report your progress to the SGC._

_"Dr. Jones has signed all of the paperwork to release you into her care. She will be taking over as your medical provider, from here on out. You can start working on getting mobile once you're settled. Despite the excitement earlier, you're healing really well, and there are no traces of lingering radiation in your bloodstream. So, I think we're about ready to get you out of here."_

_"You..." Arthur's snarky comment was cut off by his wife, coughing into her hand. He took a breath and nodded to the doctor. "Thank you."_

While Arthur was moved into the wheelchair, Guinevere hugged Gwaine tightly to her. "Tell your sister, I'll talk to her soon, alright?" The queen was going to miss the sassy brunette who had become a true friend in their short time together. She was sad that she had missed getting to meet Gwaine's nephews, but it gave her something to look forward to in the future.

Gwaine returned the embrace. "I will. You keep these guys in line, alright?...And spoil that little boy of yours rotten."

She nodded and stepped aside.

Gwaine held out his arm to the king. They didn't need any words, just the handshake and a nod. He then turned to Merlin and wrapped his arm around his best friend's shoulders. "I'll let you know anything I find out." He whispered into the warlock's ear.

"Take care of yourself out there, Gwaine. I don't know what I'd do, if I lost you again."

Merlin stepped back with the others. Everything was ready to go.

"Wait!" A call came from the infirmary door. Daniel Jackson appeared and ran towards the group. He stood alongside Merlin and nodded to Dr. Lam. "Okay, I'm good."

Lam nodded to an airman standing nearby. He keyed up the microphone on his radio. "Prometheus: you are good for transport. Total count: six adults, one child, and gear."

A shimmering light began to form around the group. Gwen sucked in her breath and clenched her teeth. Merlin knew what was coming, yet still found himself tensing. Arthur looked at the odd lights in fascination, while the infirmary around them began to disappear.

Martha smiled at Dr. Jackson and Cassie. All three had experienced such transportation methods before.

The world around them began to rematerialize...and they found themselves on a metal plate deck next to a wall of thick, clear windows. Outside, almost all that could be seen, was mostly bathed in the dark blue of the midnight sky...stars twinkling across it.

"What is that?" Gwen asked, pointing to a luminous blue round object in the distance. She swallowed down her fear, but her hands were still trembling.

Martha moved next to her friend and hugged her shoulders. "That's the Earth. We're quite a ways above it...out in space."

Merlin stared, wide-eyed. "That is..."

"...wicked." Arthur finished Merlin's expression. There was no other way to describe what they were seeing.

"I've seen pictures of it, but...wow." He felt giddy as he stood next to Arthur's wheelchair.

The king cackled, oblivious to his wife's distress. "Amazing...absolutely, amazing."

Cassie moved in to help Martha with Gwen. They pulled the queen away from the windows, and to a place where she could sit down and gather her bearings.

"Yeah, it is pretty spectacular, even once you get used to it." Daniel commented.

Merlin gave him a sideways glance. "What made you decide to tag along?"

"I wanted to give you this." He held out a thumb drive. "Sam has been working on analyzing your blood with Dr. Lam. They've compared it to most of the known samples in our database, and came back with an interesting hit from some of the shared Asgard information."

Merlin's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "I'll be back in a minute, Arthur." He patted the king's shoulder.

Arthur waved him off, only half paying attention. His mind was still with his eyes, and the view from the window in space.

"What did they find out?" Merlin asked, walking away with Daniel.

"Well...not much. Actually, just some poetry, and a few records that are in a language I haven't deciphered yet." Daniel said. He took off his glasses and began to clean them on the bottom corner of his shirt. "At first glance, your blood appears very human. It's when you get down into the genetic level with the chromosomes and such, that Sam noticed a few extremely minor differences. Most equipment nowadays wouldn't even pick it up. She's sent a sample off to our lead geneticist, in the Pegasus Galaxy, based in Atlantis. However, that could take a few months before we get the results back."

Merlin chuckled, "You know, I actually applied to be on British team to Atlantis...I was turned down because of my age."

"Yeah, well...wait..." Daniel did a double- take, before he realized Merlin was joking. "Uh..."

"Actually, I was turned down because they already had a linguist, and they saw no need for someone specialized in British Artifacts." He shrugged, "What can you do, right?"

"I figured someone like you, would cast a 'spell'...or whatever it is you do...to get on it."

Merlin turned towards the table where Martha was still sitting with Gwen. The queen was breathing easier, but still appeared shaken from the experience.

He smiled, "I might have, but I met someone and decided that was a better opportunity. Funny how destiny works. Even if you think you are totally in control of your own fate, when you reflect back you can see the path clear as day, and you begin to discern the patterns of the web that have brought you right where you need to be."

Daniel nodded. He knew exactly what Merlin was talking about. A few years previous, Daniel had died. One of the Ascended, a woman named Oma, had come to him upon the moment of his death. She offered him a place among the Ancients. During his time with them, he had learned many of their mysterious ways. He wasn't allowed to interact with people from his former life, but when Anubis wiped out an entire planet, Daniel couldn't stand by in the other dimension anymore...especially when he had lived with those people for a time, and had married the chieftain's daughter on his very first mission through the Stargate.

He was cast out, shortly thereafter, and given human form again...although his memories of his past life and Ascension had been blocked from his mind. "It's still rather frustrating in the moment though...When you think you're heading one way, and find you've gone in the completely opposite direction."

Merlin held up the thumb drive. "Thank you for this. I'll be sure to let you know if anything on it is relevant."

The archeologist shifted his feet and fluffed his sandy blond hair with his hand. "Can I ask you about...Camelot?"

Laughing, Merlin placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I've been waiting for you to. Come, let's go sit with Arthur, I'm sure he'd be interested in this, as well."

* * *

 

 

  
  
Image not mine, credit goes to the owner.

The swirling white clouds of white covered much of what he saw below. Off to his left, he could see the sun passing quickly over land. A distinct line of shadow crossed the Earth. Areas that were once green, brown, and blue became darker...but at the same time, they lit up, like thousands of torches across the land; flaring to life simultaneously. They outlined where the large land masses had just been.

Arthur wished he could ask someone about it, but there was no one close by him. He wondered where it was they had just been. In the mountain cavern, carved out by the hands of men and strung with artificial lights, he didn't know if it had been day or night. The king looked for anything that resembled Albion, but nothing made sense. A tightness began creeping into his chest. If he couldn't find the land where his kingdom had been so many centuries ago, how significant was it to begin with?

He had ruled a very powerful kingdom...and it suddenly hit him. Merlin's and Gwaine's words: it was all gone. Arthur felt like a piece of dust that once littered the castle he called home. He was nothing compared to what was out there. Only his friends somehow linked him to that place, where he used to reign. The power and might of a great army; the people whose lives depended on his protection...they were all gone. Everything he had known...lost to the past.

He felt the tears cutting tracks down his face, and wondered for a moment when he had begun to cry. Arthur didn't bother trying to wipe them away.

"Arthur?" Merlin's voice asked softly, "Are you alright?"

"What's the point of this, Merlin? I am a king without a kingdom...without people. Who am I supposed to be now? Camelot doesn't even exist anymore. Does anyone, outside of us...even know about it? Is it just some footnote in history? Am I even mentioned as a king?"

Merlin tussled his black hair and sat down on the floor, his back to the window. "I think anything I say right now, you'd argue that I'm being biased." He turned to Daniel. "Perhaps you can tell him, Dr. Jackson. Do people of this era know of Camelot, and some prat who reigned over it for a few years named Arthur?"

Daniel shook his head and laughed, "Yes...yes they do; not just as a footnote either. Even today, fifteen hundred years later, people are still searching for the ruins of Camelot. It's been debated whether it even existed in the first place, but what really survived is the idea of it. The dream of a glorious kingdom, built by King Arthur."

Arthur scoffed and wiped his nose across the sleeve of his robe. "I didn't build it. Camelot was built over three hundred years before I ruled it."

"...But that's not the point. Everywhere in the world, right or wrong, people have theories about it, and it all comes back to one thing...you." Merlin pinned him with a meaningful stare.

Blue eyes, rimmed with red, turned towards the archeologist, expecting this to all be some joke. "My father, Uther, ruled over Camelot longer than I did. It was King Bruta who built it. What does history have to say about them?"

"Bruta...hmm...There was a Trojan named Brutus who, after freeing the slaves of Troy, set sail and came upon a land filled with giants, called Albion. It was said he and his men slew the giants, and he then named the island after himself...calling it Britain. History says that he founded New Troy...which later became London. I don't recall any mention of him being associated with Camelot.

"As for Uther...he's...uh..." Daniel readjusted his glasses, unsure of how much he should say.

Merlin snorted, "Uther is remembered as the little brother of the High King Ambrosius, youngest son of Constantine II. He was known as a tyrant, and the father of King Arthur. Most people couldn't care less about him, although there has been a lot written about the circumstances around your birth. Most of which is fictional."

"Oh?" The archeologist perked up immediately. His excitement at finding out the truth behind the myths first-hand was palpable. "This is what I've been waiting to hear!"

Arthur looked at the man oddly. "Why anyone would want to hear about my birth...is beyond me. It was a very dark time for my father."

Merlin nodded, "It was a dark time for many in and around Camelot, especially those with magic." He glanced at Arthur, asking silently for permission to tell the tale. The king nodded once, slowly, before turning to gaze back out the window. "Uther was married to Ygraine Du Bois...an arranged marriage. In most stories told nowadays, Ygraine somehow was married to Gorlois, and already had Morgana."

He looked at Daniel, who silently agreed.

"However, Gorlois was actually married to Vivienne, and they had Morgause. At some point, while Gorlois was away, Uther had an affair with Vivienne...and Morgana was born. Morgause had begun to show the gift of sight. Uther feared that his transgression would become known, so ordered Morgause killed. Gaius took pity on the girl and smuggled her out of the city.

"Later, when Ygraine still hadn't conceived, a deal was struck with magic. I don't know the whole story, but it was blood magic, which required the balance of life and death. Arthur was born, but his mother died. Uther took it upon himself to purge all magic from the land, and the war began. He was basically the Hitler of the Dark Ages, committing genocide on all who even thought about magic, it seemed. Thankfully, war with other kingdoms, and constant threats from Saxons, Picts and others, kept Uther and his tyranny rather confined.

"He ruled over Camelot for...a couple of decades afterwards, before an assassin's blade took him down. That was when Arthur became king."

Most of what Merlin told Daniel, Arthur already knew, or had guessed. A few other details, were a complete surprise to him. Arthur mused to himself, that the next few months were probably going to be filled with more emotional pain, than physical. "I ruled Camelot for less than five years, before I was struck down at Camlann, by Mordred."

"...Who was your son?" Daniel questioned.

Arthur looked at the man with disdain. "Are you on the cider? Mordred was one of my knights. He turned on me, after I ordered the death of his childhood love. She had tried to assassinate me, and was wholly unrepentant. I had no choice."

"Dr. Jackson. Colonel Emrys. We're in position for the transport." A uniformed crewman said, coming into the room.

Merlin patted Arthur's knee. "Ready to go home, my friend?"

Arthur straightened in the chair and cast a lingering gaze outside. "I'm really not just a 'footnote?'"

Daniel laughed, "No...the idea of Camelot, ruled by Arthur Pendragon, and his Knights of the Round Table, have been an inspiration to...kings, presidents, peasants...across all classes and all over the world, for centuries."

The king smirked at Merlin. "...And I'm sure you had nothing to do with it?"

"Actually, I didn't. Most of the stuff came from Geoffrey, of all people."

Rolling his eyes, Arthur groaned, "No wonder it's so messed up then. I remember what the Hall of Records looked like."

* * *

 

Merlin told Arthur he had hoped to bring the king home during the day, but Arthur was thankful to be back on his home soil, no matter the time. Something about the field where they materialized...just felt right to him. The transport beam faded away and he shielded his eyes from the glare of the bright lights, that shone on the area.

Merlin explained that he had a variety of protective measures in place on the actual residence, and it would be easier for Prometheus to set them down outside the defended area. He could have made adjustments to his security, or given more details to the commander of the Battlecruiser. "...But..." He whispered to Arthur. "I really don't want these Yanks creeping around my house."

"Ever paranoid, Merlin."

He shrugged, "Yeah, but it's gotten us both this far."

"'Bout time you slackers got 'ere! Stop off for a pint at the local space pub on the way, or what?" A young man with a thick accent and dark skin, said sarcastically.

"My Lord!" Another voice called out.

Arthur turned away from the lights and towards the voice of one of his knights. He blinked in surprise. He didn't know why, but he half-expected to see the piecemeal armor of his largest knight.

Percival stepped forward and dropped to his knee. He was wearing dark trousers similar to those that Merlin wore and a large leather jacket, tailored to his size. "Sire...I...I never thought to see you again, after Camlann."

"I never thought I'd see anyone, Percival. I'm thankful you are here."

"Come. Let's get you all into the vehicles and get back to the house."

Arthur didn't get to see much of the place. He was beginning to really feel the pain of his injuries. The added excitement of having been on a spaceship, and his first ride in a vehicle; along with the emotional overload from the past few days, left him completely exhausted. He glanced around the room, as Percival helped him into the bed, noting briefly how much it looked like his room in Camelot.

Gwen gasped when she saw it. The walls were different, off-white and smooth, but the layout and furnishings were almost identical. The only other real difference either of them noticed, was the addition of the crib, where Arthur's desk would have been. Aurie was already out cold, when Gwen laid him down.

Merlin nodded silently to Percival, thanking him. The large man had performed incredibly, in executing Merlin's plan to make the rooms as comfortable as possible for Arthur and Gwen's homecoming.

Cassie and Martha checked over Arthur's vital signs. Soon after, the royal couple were left alone in a place that felt more like home than anywhere else had, for what seemed like a very long time. The king allowed himself to relax, while he waited for his wife to change into her nightclothes. She crawled into the bed next to him and clung to her husband tightly.

"Don't ever do that to me again, Arthur. Please..."

He didn't have to ask what she meant. He couldn't begin to imagine the pain she had gone through after Camlann. "Never, my love."

* * *

 

"So...?"

"So?"

"How was the first mission with the new team?"

Gwaine rolled his eyes. "Rather not talk about it." He took a large swig out of his beer bottle.

"Ouch! Well, if it's any consolation, Reeves is pushing his luck lately. Did you ever know Master Sergeant Bond?" Cameron asked.

Gwaine shook his head. "Should I?"

"He was a good man, resigned recently after being on SG-18 for three years." He poured some of the liquid down his throat. "Ah, this is good stuff. Anyway, Reeves was promoted during a brief stint, when the IOA had attempted to bring the SGC under civilian control, instead of leaving it a military operation. Lot of things got wonky during that time."

Gwaine huffed, "Reeves was a Lieutenant when he first came on. He and I served together on SG-6...Had the makings of a good officer...but even back then, I don't think he had the right stuff for a command."

"I hate to assume things..." He glanced at Gwaine. Both men snorted at the obvious lie. "...but, I think Landry putting you as the Second-in-Command on that team, was a strategic move on his part. The only one who's stuck with SG-18 under Reeves, has been Calden."

"Great!" Gwaine rolled his eyes. "So, he's hoping since I have history with Reeves, I can come in and try to clean it up?"

Cameron shrugged and set his bottle on the deck railing. "Alright, how about we leave work at work, and you show me these moves the king was boasting about?"

Gwaine laughed and yelled through the back door. "Hey Toby! Grab those practice swords I showed you the other day, and then you and your brothers get your butts out here!" Cameron cocked his head in curiosity. He shrugged, "Kid's been giving me grief, saying I probably don't really know how to use a sword. I want to show him how good his uncle really is."

An hour later, and the small audience of Gwaine's family had come out onto the deck. Laney was wincing with each strike of the hard, wooden practice swords. Pops was clapping his knees and roaring with laughter. Randy and Greg, ages seven and six, were mimicking their uncle's duel around the porch. Toby was sitting on the steps, out of breath from having been allowed to participate a little bit during the warm-ups.

"Quit toying with me, man!" Cameron yelled at his opponent, as he huffed and leaned on the sword, like a cane.

The sun was setting over the mountains. Elongated shadows crept across the plains. Gwaine stood opposite his friend and twirled the sword in his hand. He showed no signs of slowing down or weakening, though his bare torso glistened with sweat in the orange light of the evening.

Cameron stripped off his shirt as well.

"Down, Mom!" Toby said, pretending to gag, as he heard the quiet hum of appreciation behind him.

"No ogling my friends, Laney. We both know how that turned out before!"

"Stuff it, Gwaine. That was back during your first year of college." His sister argued.

"Speaking of dating..." Cameron asked, raising the stick in his hand. "Are you ever gonna ask Carter out?"

"Eh...We had lunch a couple times on base, while you were gone. We decided we're probably just better off as friends, and going to the occasional concert together."

"Uh huh, I see..."

Pops yelled from the porch. "Said the blind man, as he picked up his hammer and saw."

Gwaine turned to laugh at his grandfather and the old saying. He realized his mistake immediately as Cameron's faux sword was suddenly pointed at his chest. Turning his brown eyes back to his friend, he glanced down at the sword and smirked. "Really?"

In a move quicker than Cameron could have imagined, Gwaine had his sword back up and with a twist of the wrist, the Colonel was suddenly disarmed. He blinked when Gwaine caught it. "You actually are good at this, you know?"

Gwaine shook his head, his dogtags jangled around his neck. "I'm just getting warmed up."


	14. Chapter 14

 

**Epilogue:**

__

* * *

He hit the small glass against the wood surface, causing the bubbles to rise in it. He quickly tipped his head back and drained the colorless, tasteless liquid. It was a costly drink in these parts, but he felt he deserved it after his last run. It wasn't often he was awarded such a lucrative payday and the Rekkar, an alcoholic drink from the Sentarians, was a treat...especially since he was the one who had smuggled it past the Goa'uld Mother Ship, in orbit around the small desert planet.

Although, he had to admit, with the major defeat of the Goa'uld System Lords by the Tau'ri, it wasn't as dangerous as it used to be. He thought of the Tau'ri...who were what others in the galaxy referred to, when talking about the people of Earth. It had been decades since he was last there, and he pondered briefly about returning. At one time, the green and blue planet had been his home...but that was long in the past.

The place had changed. The people had advanced enough technologically, in the past few decades, to be considered part of the rest of the galaxy. Earth had been thrust into a war with the Goa'uld during the last decade, and much of the universe sat back to watch it play out. There were so many different species throughout space, and the Goa'uld had been playing a dangerous game of conquest in the Milky Way.

He inhaled sharply and bit back against the burn of the alcohol. He set the small glass on the bar in front of him, then quickly reached for a taller glass that held a beverage similar to the beer found on Earth. He drained the second glass, the contents instantly cooling the fire that the Rekkar had started in his throat.

He stood up from the barstool and looked around. This area of the planet had a dry desert-like climate, although he knew there was an ocean not too far off, that offered a bit more greenery. The bar he'd just delivered his cargo to, had an open cabana feeling around it, and butted out into a bustling marketplace.

Most of the inhabitants of this world were Jaffa, former slaves of the Goa'uld. Their ancestors had been taken originally from Earth, long before his time there, and forced into servitude to the aliens who proclaimed themselves to be gods. Over the centuries, they had been genetically engineered to become incubators of the young Goa'uld symbiotes.

The true form of the Goa'uld were snake-like creatures that took humans as hosts, in order to assert their power. When he first ran into them, even he had a hard time believing they were not gods. Now, he knew better.

As their hold in the galaxy waned in the years following the war with the Tau'ri, others began to clamor for power. The Lucian Alliance was a coalition of smugglers, who recently founded a new hierarchy and were quickly becoming a known force. Others, such as the Tok'ra...Goa'uld-like creatures that, instead of suppressing their human hosts, worked together in a true symbiotic relationship... were too small in number to be considered a threat.

The Tollan, until recent years were a powerful and advanced race. Until they had been defeated by the Goa'uld, Anubis, and were forced to flee their home planet. They were the closest relative to humans in the galaxy, but their laws didn't allow them to share their superior technology with anyone they considered primitive...such as the Tau'ri.

The Asgard were in a class by themselves, and survived off of cloning their own bodies and transplanting their consciousness. Considered one of The Alliance of Four Great Races, they excelled early on in the galaxy, and helped to guide many of the younger races. They only stood about four feet in height. They had large heads without definable noses, set with dark bulbous eyes, and a grayish skin tone on slender bodies that appeared too thin, to support their sizable craniums. A war with a robotic race, called the Replicators, kept them occupied in their own parts of the galaxy, and so they didn't interfere with most of the day- to-day occurrences.

The Alterans, or Ancients...as many of the races in the Milky Way called them...were listed among the members of The Alliance. Many, until recently, thought they were extinct, or in hiding. The man knew for a fact that not all was what it appeared, when it came to this particular race.

A predecessor to humans, the Alterans found a way to Ascend from their physical bodies into a pure form of energy. Their level of technology was far beyond any other race. At the height of their civilization, they had built the vast network of Stargates that spread throughout the known universe, and beyond. However, they then gave it all up for a place in a higher plane of existence.

Another seldom seen member of The Alliance, were the Nox. He'd only ever heard of them; very few had ever seen them. Said to be nature-loving pacifists, most of what he knew was rumor.

The fourth race, was called the Furlings...and even less was known of them, than the Nox.

Humans were well on their way to becoming a new power. 'The Fifth Race', as the Asgard called them. They were similar to the Alterans, though it would take many more generations before humans accomplished the same level of advancement. He wondered if he would be around to see it, but he brushed away that thought as quickly as it came.

His blue eyes narrowed at a man, dressed in gray robes and walking casually through the crowd. His skin was deathly pale, and his eyes were clouded over with a white film. In one hand, the robed figure held a staff with a large blue crystal on top of it; in the other, was a book.

Recently, rumors of this man, called a Prior, and his ilk, had begun to spread. It was said they had destroyed an entire planet, in their efforts to build a Wormhole that would span galaxies. He had learned that the Priors were the handmaidens of a race called the Ori. Once of the same species as the Alterans, they had split off at some point and Ascended as well.

The Alterans believed in allowing the 'lesser races' of the universe to find their own paths to enlightenment. The Ori, on the other hand, preached absolute obedience to gain it. The consequences to those who disobeyed them, or refused to bow down before the god- like powers granted to the Priors, were devastating.

Until recently, it was said that the Ori had kept to their own galaxy, in a distant part of the universe, which many others avoided...and with good cause it seemed.

He picked up his long trench coat from the back of the bar stool, and slung it over his shoulder. Putting on the goggles, that served as protection from both the sun and the occasional sandstorm on the planet, he shielded his eyes. He adjusted an ancient sword, slung across his back.

The man was never far from the sword, as anyone who knew him could attest. Yet, not a single one had ever seen it out of its scabbard.

A nod to the owner of the establishment, who still appeared a bit grumpy at paying the smuggler, and the man walked out onto the street. It was best to get out of the area, before the Prior decided to take a liking to this world.

As he made his way to the spaceport, where his ship was waiting, a man dressed in the Tau'ri Military uniform unexpectedly stopped in front of him. He brushed on past, without a second glance, while the man cursed. A few meters further away, he heard someone calling.

Three men, dressed in Tau'ri Military uniforms, stood nearby. One of them was cursing and calling to the fourth man, whom he had nearly run over.

He paused, hearing the name the leader called out. Something inside him was suddenly intrigued. He stealthily slipped into the shadows of a nearby market stall to watch.

* * *

 

Gwaine had his head down, as he walked along after his team. He was trying to make sense of the readings on his handheld scanner, and didn't notice the crowd around him. Suddenly, he was knocked forward a step. He muttered a curse and looked up.

The man kept walking, but Gwaine stood gaping at the sight.

"Major Dallon, are you joining us today?" The commander of the group called out to him.

Gwaine's eyes scanned the crowd for the man he had just seen. "Keep your panties on, Colonel...I'll be there in a minute." He was getting rather annoyed with Reeves, and had begun to stand his ground. Gwaine knew he was pushing the limits of insubordination.

He saw what appeared to be a bar at the edge of the street. An awning covered the main seating area. He moved up to it and caught the proprietor's attention. "Hey, was that blond man with the sword just in here?"

Distrustful, the portly man raised an eyebrow. "Depends..."

"Look, I'm not after him for anything. I just want to know the basics."

The barkeep smirked, "I doubt you can afford the basics...Human. So...no, he wasn't."

Gwaine's eyes narrowed, "Obviously, you know who I'm talking about. Can you tell me his name?"

Jutting out his thick chin, the man turned away to help another...paying...customer.

"Major Dallon!" The leader of SG-18 called again, impatiently. "Oh, Sir Gwaine! Get your head out of the Dark Ages and come on! We need to catch up to that Prior!"

Gwaine exhaled and looked around again. He was beginning to think it was just his imagination. He started to move out, when a young boy ran up to him.

The boy smiled and held something up. "For you, sir...for luck!"

Gwaine nodded and took the item. He felt his heart stop. In his hand, he held a coin made of gold. Worn, but discernible on one of the sides, was the seal from the forges of Camelot. "Where did you get this?" He asked, but the boy was already gone.

Taking a deep breath, he grasped the coin tightly and nodded, hoping whoever sent it to him would see that he had received the message.

* * *

 

The man in the shadows watched the Tau'ri rush off, still in pursuit of the Prior. A tug on his sleeve caused him to look down.

The boy stood there with his hand out, waiting for his payment. "I gave it to the right one, right?"

"You did well, boy." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of triangular coins, that served as the local currency. Handing them over to the boy, he ushered the child off.

He ran a hand through his blond curls and released a breath. "Well, Excalibur," he whispered to the sword on his back. "Looks like it's time to take you back to your owner."

Leon smiled and continued his journey to the spaceport, where his ship, a modified Tel'Tak, was docked. He couldn't believe the time had finally come...and he was going home.

 

_"Far beneath the ship, the world is mourning._

_They don't realize, he's alive._

_No one understands, but Major Tom sees,_

_Now the light commands, this is my home..._

_I'm coming home..."_

_Peter Schilling - Major Tom (Coming Home) (not mine)_


End file.
